BEAUMONT, Texas – For 7 1/3 innings, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi starter
Dustin Lacaze spun a gem, but Lamar used a four-run eighth after chasing Lacaze to rally for a 4-2 win in Thursday's series opener at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
Lacaze shutdown the potent Cardinals lineup for seven innings, holding Lamar to just three hits heading into the eighth. A hit-by-pitch and a single to begin the eighth signaled troubled for the first time on the evening and ended Lacaze's outing.
With one out,
Chad Romere (1-1) entered with runners on first and second in an effort to quell the storm. The Cardinals, however, would tag the right-hander for three hits in the inning, including two-run singles from Reid Russell and Trey Silvers to flip the game in what would be their final at-bat.
The Islanders (13-21, 5-8) opened the scoring in the top of the second inning, putting both of their runs on the board.
Luke Marbach opened the frame with a single and
Dawson Yates followed with a single of his own as the first two men reached for the Blue and Green.
A fly out allowed Marbach to move to third with just one away. Corpus Christi put on the safety squeeze, but
Itchy Burts' bunt bounced back to the pitcher Carson Lance who cut down Marbach at the pate. Despite the missed opportunity, the Islanders still scored a pair as
Lukas Hermanson flared a RBI-single to left to score Yates.
Burts would race home as Hermanson intentionally got caught in a run down between first and second to make it 2-0.
Lacaze made the two runs hold up through the seventh, as the right-hander dominated the Lamar (20-15, 7-9) order allowing just four baserunners. Lamar finally got to the redshirt-freshman in the eighth, getting two men aboard for the first time all night.
The threat saw Lacaze pulled with 98 pitchers on his ledger. Romere entered in an effort to stem the tide, but Lamar found the clutch hits to hang four on the board. With the final two runs on his line, Romere was charged with the loss.
On the mound for the Cardinals, Lance (5-4) settled in and went the distance for the win. The Lamar ace sat down the final 18 Islanders he faced, not allowing a single runner following a leadoff double in the fourth by
Dalton Stark.
FRESH START FRIDAY
The Islanders look to bounce back and level the series in a 6 p.m. first pitch Friday night.
Cole Carter will get the ball for the Blue and Green.
