CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi completed its sweep of the Kleberg Bank College Classic this weekend, beating No. 21 Mississippi State 6-3 inside Whataburger Field. With a 6-1 record on the year, the Islanders are currently on a streak of five straight wins and hold an undefeated record at home.
The stage was set perfectly for the final contest of this year's tournament. Corpus Christi and State both tallied wins in their first two games of the weekend before preparing to faceoff, as the winner of Sunday's matchup would decide the ultimate champion of the 2018 KBCC.
As they've done so many times this season, the Islanders struck early against the Bulldogs, putting up a run in the first for the fifth time this season. A double from
Harrison DiNicola would give outfielder Thomas Jeffries an opportunity to drive in the first score of the night, smacking a single on his first of two hits in the contest.
Giving up just a pair of knocks in the first two innings, starting Islander pitcher
Jackson Owens would stalemate the visitors until the third inning, when a leadoff solo home run tied things at one apiece. The Islander offense would find itself again in the bottom of the fourth however, drawing three straight walks to set up second baseman
Andriud Martinez for a bases loaded, two-RBI double to take back the lead.
With Mississippi State tying things at three in the fifth, Martinez would again come up big for the Islanders with an RBI single in the following frame. His go ahead run would stand to be the game-winner on the night, as the Bulldogs were shutout in the last five innings of the KBCC final.
Relievers
Tate Gillespie,
David Worrell and
Chris Cooper kept the State bats silent through those final five frames, as Coach Malone and staff used a committee of six arms to stymie the Bulldogs over the course of the evening. Cooper earned his second save of the year on a pair of strikeouts and a 1-3 groundout to close out the ninth, while teammate
Chad Romere took home his first win of the year for his efforts in the fifth and sixth innings.
Drake Osborn drove in the final two runs of the night for Corpus Christi, after sending the ball over the right field wall in the seventh. The Islanders outhit the visiting side 10-7 while averaging .303 from the dish, as seven Blue and Green ball players reached base safely on the afternoon.
For their efforts over the course of the weekend, Osborn and Martinez would be two of six Islander players to gather All-Tournament designations, with the latter earning Kleberg Bank College Classic MVP honors.
Islander starting pitchers
Dustin Lacaze and
Aaron Hernandez both earned spots on this year's All-Tournament team, as the two combined for 14.1 IP, 20 strikeouts and zero earned runs over each of their starts. Outfielder Thomas Jeffries and designated hitter
Luke Marbach round out this weekend's list of Blue and Green honorees, with Jeffries collecting five RBI on four hits in three games played.
2018 KBCC All-Tournament Team
Catcher: Drake Osborn (TAMUCC)
First Base: Josh Hatcher (Miss. State)
Second Base: Andriud Martinez (TAMUCC)
Third Base: Tanner Allen (Miss. State)
Shortstop: Joey Morales (Nicholls)
Outfield: Jake Mangum (Miss. State)
Outfield: Tommy Jew (UC Santa Barbara)
Outfield: Thomas Jeffries IV (TAMUCC)
Designated Hitter: Luke Marbach (TAMUCC)
Pitcher: Dustin Lacaze (TAMUCC)
Pitcher: Aaron Hernandez (TAMUCC)
Pitcher: Ethan Small (Miss. State)
Pitcher: Ben Brecht (UC Santa Barbara)
TOURNAMENT MVP: Andriud Martinez (TAMUCC)
- The Islanders are 5-0 this year when scoring in the first inning
- The Blue and Green outscored its opponents 20-5 over three games played against Nicholls, UC Santa Barbara and Mississippi State. Only three of their runs against were earned
- While he did not earn All-Tournament honors this week, first baseman Harrison DiNicola slashed .500/.538/.750 over the course of the weekend, while tying Marbach for a team-high in total bases (9)
- In his third start of the year, Enrique Sanchez Jr. tallied career-highs with a pair of knocks and a run scored against State
- Three of Andriud Martinez' RBI on the week came against the Bulldogs, a new career-high
- Martinez, Dinicola and Osborn hit in every game of the KBCC, combining for 10 of their team's 19 RBI
COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders stay at home for a mid-week matchup with nearby Houston-Victoria. The Blue and Green have split their last two home-and-home series with the Jaguars, as they attempt to win their sixth consecutive game inside Chapman this approaching Wednesday.
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- Go Islanders -
