CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A day after an eight-run eighth inning sent Texas A&M-Corpus Chrsti storming to victory, the late-game heroics could not be duplicated as Stephen F. Austin clinched the series win with a 5-1 victory.
Cullen Jozwiak finished the day 2-for-3 at the plate with a run batted in, but was the only Islander with multiple hits in the loss.
SFA right fielder Zac Michener hooked a wall-scraping line drive just inside the left-field foul pole in the top of the fourth to open the scoring. The Lumberjacks (24-18, 13-5) would go on to add another run in the frame on a bases-loaded walk, chasing Islanders starter
Korey Rasure from the game. Rasure (0-2) went 3 1/3 innings, allowing the two runs on six hits and four walks in the loss.
The two runs proved to be all SFA would need in the 5-1 series-clinching victory.
SFA starter Tony Grabowske (4-2) carried a no-hitter into the fifth before the Islanders got back-to-back knocks to open the frame.
Cullen Jozwiak and
Brett Burner each singled to give the Blue and Green its first threat of the afternoon. Grabowske would escape the jam, however, leaving the Islanders stranded on the corners.
The Lumberjacks would strike again in the seventh off reliever
Chris Cooper. With a runner on second and two outs, a foul pop to third was mishandled, allowing Josh Evans to stay alive. The miscue proved costly as Evans laced a double in left center, scoring an unearned run.
An inning later, a pair of two-out doubles off
David Worrell tagged another two runs on the board for SFA.
The two-run SFA eighth came after the Islanders missed an opportunity of their own in the seventh.
Dalton Stark opened the frame with a double to left field before Jozwiak drew a 3-2 walk to put two aboard with no outs once again. The threat ended when reliever Will Vest induced a double-play ball and a tapper back to the mound.
The Islanders (14-26, 6-12) broke up the shutout in the bottom of the ninth as
Dawson Yates singled to center and later scored on Jozwiak's rip through the right side of the infield. There was no late rally to be found, however, as SFA's Tyler Starks induced a game-ending grounder from the next batter to seal the series.
Corpus Christi was held to just five hits on the day, two of which came in the final frame as Lumberjack pitchers kept the Blue and Green off-balance at the plate.
TEXAS A&M TUESDAY
The Islanders now head to College Station for a midweek clash with the 20th-ranked Aggies. First pitch is set for 6:35 from Blue Bell Park and will be broadcast on the SEC Network+, available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
