SAN ANTONIO – The reigning Southland Conference Hitter of the Week,
Dalton Stark, stayed hot, producing three hits and scoring three times as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi rallied from a 4-0 deficit to win 5-4 in 10 innings at UIW on Friday night.
Stark, 3-for-4, was the only Islander to record multiple hits on the night. The junior had a hand in every inning the Blue and Green scored in, earning a walk and scoring a run in the sixth, singling and scoring the tying run in the eighth and doubling and scoring the game-winner in the 10th.
While Stark was keying the comeback,
David Worrell (2-4) made it all possible by shutting down the Cardinals through the late innings. The right-hander tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings after entering in fifth to give the Islanders a chance. Worrell allowed just a single hit and did not walk a batter in earning the win.
UIW (19-31, 7-18) struck first, pushing a run across in the opening frame. A walk and a single to open the night signaled trouble early as the Cardinals put runners at the corners. A double play would bring a run home but help the Islanders escape further damage.
The Cardinals would extend the lead to 3-0 in the first as a single and RBI triple opened the frame and chased Islander starter
Dustin Lacaze. The redshirt freshman went three innings, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks.
Chad Romere entered out of the bullpen, limiting the damage to just the inherited runner at third. Romere would run into his own trouble in the fifth as a walk, double and single scored another to make it 4-0. That's when Worrell took over and clamped down on the mound.
Worrell immediately induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the fifth. It was the spark the Islanders needed to fight back into the game.
The top of the sixth saw the Islanders finally get the bats going.
Dawson Yates opened the frame with a single before a hit batsman and walk loaded the bases with no outs. A bases-loaded walk for
Cullen Jozwiak pushed the first run across as the Islanders chased UIW ace John Shull.
A double play scored another, but threatened to end the Islanders' momentum. That's when
Jackson Owens delivered a two-out RBI-single to pull the Blue and Green within one.
Two innings later, the Islanders tied it up as Stark singled and scored on a Jozwiak double. That was enough to push the game into extras where the bases-loaded walk of
Nick Anderson on a 3-2 pitch gave the Islanders a 5-4 lead.
Corpus Christi turned to fireman
Chris Cooper out of the bullpen, who needed just nine pitches to earn his sixth save of the season.
SATURDAY SET
The Islanders and Cardinals continue the series with a 3 p.m. first pitch on Saturday afternoon.
