CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi grabbed their fourth consecutive win this Saturday, tallying a pair of late-inning runs in a 2-1 decision over UC Santa Barbara. Starting pitcher
Aaron Hernandez tallied a career-high 12 strikeouts against the Gauchos, as the Islanders are yet to surrender an earned run in this year's Kleberg Bank College Classic.
Facing just four over the minimum through his first six innings, Hernandez provided one of the top performances of his career against UCSB, holding the visiting Gauchos to a single unearned run on the night. After giving up a walk and a double in the second, the right-hander executed eight of his next nine outs on Ks, while striking out the side in the third and fourth inning.
With the Gauchos scoring on a pair of errors in the seventh, Hernandez would call it a night after 6.1 frames of work, holding UC-Santa Barbara to just three knocks and a pair of balls. A native of Corpus Christi, the Islander ace would leave the game to a standing ovation from the crowd in attendance, while being replaced by reliever
Cole Carter.
With Carter rolling through the remainder of the seventh, and the successive eighth, it would come time for the Islanders' offense to erase the visitors' slim lead. After a walk from
Harrison DiNicola and a double from
Jackson Owens to start off the inning,
Andriud Martinez picked up his fourth RBI of the year on an groundout.
Following a Thomas Jeffries walk, catcher
Drake Osborn stepped into the box for his fourth at-bat of the night with runners on the corners, and would not disappoint. The sophomore backstop struck a manageable ball toward the Gaucho third baseman, but forced a bad throw on the play, with his hustle down the line forcing the man at the hot corner to rush his throw and deliver an uncatchable ball.
Owens scored on the UCSB error to give his side the go ahead run, and provide Carter the opportunity to be the man of record in the ninth. The experienced righty stayed cool under pressure in the final frame, striking out a pair before ending the night's contest on a fly ball to center field.
In all, the Islander pitching staff recorded 16 Ks while holding UC-Santa Barbara to just three hits in Saturday's one-run win. This is the second game in a row the Islanders have gone a full nine without giving up an earned run, as the Blue and Green have an ERA of 1.75 over its current four game winning streak.
- The Islanders outhit the Gauchos 7-3 on the night, with five players tallying a knock over the course of the afternoon
- Luke Marbach and Owens both had a pair of knocks against UCSB, with the latter improving his batting average to a team-best .438
- With 13 strikeouts on the year, Hernandez now leads his side in the category. He and Friday starter Dustin Lacaze have combined for 14.2 IP, 20 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA during the 2018 Kleberg College Classic
- Marbach and Dinicola have been raking over the past week, as each sit of them are sitting on a three-game hitting streak
COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders conclude the KBCC inside Whataburger Field, taking on SEC powerhouse Mississippi State. The Blue and Green split their two-game series with the Bulldogs when the two last met in the 2010 Kleberg Bank College Classic, as both teams enter this Sunday undefeated on the weekend.
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- Go Islanders -
