Pitcher's Duel

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - With both sides combining for just nine hits on the night, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and New Orleans locked themselves in a pitcher's duel this Friday, with the Privateers coming out on top in a 2-0 final.

Lacking run support, Islander ace Aaron Hernandez turned in a dominant performance in game two of the Blue and Green's series against the Privateers, striking out eight UNO batters over 6.2 innings of work. After giving up a run in the second, Hernandez induced three consecutive groundouts in the frame before striking out the side in the third, spraying four UNO hits over his first three innings. Excluding a pair of walks and a single in the seventh inning, the Islander ace was all but perfect for the remainder of his start, allowing the visiting Privateers just two runs in his fourth quality start of the season.

Coming in relief of Hernandez, freshman Leonel Perez constructed 2.1 innings of shutout baseball to close out the night, adding three Ks of his own, to give the pitching duo a total of 11 on the evening. Perez' work on the bump marks his fourth consecutive appearance without an earned run against (16.1 IP), with his ERA shrinking all the way down to 1.25 in 2018.

The Islanders offense recorded four hits over the course of the afternoon, unable to string more than a single knock per inning. Thomas Jeffries IV tallied a pair of singles for the Islanders in his four at-bats, while starting backstop Drake Osborn recorded a double in the bottom of the sixth. 

• Enrique Sanchez Jr. made his sixth straight start at the hot corner this Friday
• Jeffries is 6-for-9 (.667) so far against the Privateers this series, and recorded his fourth stolen base of the season against UNO in game two
• Hernandez' eight strikeouts bring his total to 51 for the season, well ahead of the personal best of 37 he recorded in his freshman campaign
• Striking out three of the seven batters he faced, Perez was perfect through his 2.1 IP. The freshman right-hander is averaging 9.55 K/9 in 2018

COMING UP NEXT
The Blue and Green meet the Privateers in this weekend's finale this Saturday at Chapman Field with a 1 PM day game. Jackson Owens will be on the mound for the hosting Islanders, as Coach Malone's side look to send UNO home with a loss

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