Extra Inning Heartbreak

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -  After taking a two-run loss to New Orleans the previous night, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was unable to put away the Privateers in extra innings this Saturday, falling to the visitors 6-5 after 11 frames.

With UNO going ahead on a sacrifice fly, the Islanders tied things up in the bottom half of the first frame after a pair of back-to-back knocks from Jackson Owens and Harrison DiNicola. Owens hit his fourth triple of the year in the inning, while Dinicola's double gave the first baseman his team-leading 20th RBI of 2018.

Corpus Christi opened things up during the fourth, with Enrique Sanchez Jr., Nick Anderson and Andriud Martinez tallying three straight singles to load things up for center fielder Dalton Stark. The Islander senior drew his first walk of the day to tie things back at two apiece, before starting catcher Scott Balfantz took a bases loaded hit by pitch to give his side the go ahead run.

RJ Ruiz added another run for the Islanders with a walk of his own, while Stark reached home plate on an RBI sac fly from left fielder Thomas Jeffries to give the Blue and Green a 5-2 advantage, going into the fifth.

Ahead by three runs, the Islanders appeared to be in the driver's seat, but a two-run homer from the Privateers in the seventh would put UNO back in striking position. A leadoff triple, and an Islander throwing error put things even during the eighth, as the early afternoon game was forced to reach extra innings.

After falling behind by a single run in the 11th, Balfantz came through in the clutch for the Islanders, shooting a one-out double down the left field line to give the home team runners in scoring position early. A fly out and a ground out would leave pinch runner Dustin Lacaze stranded at third however, and the Islanders were forced to take the 6-5 finale loss.

Playing in both the designated hitter position, and taking the starting pitcher's role, Jackson Owens had a day both at the plate and on the mound, striking out a pair of UNO batters with one earned run against in his 5.1 innings spent on the hill. The righty was relieved by bullpen arms Cody LeCompte, Chris Cooper and Cole Carter, the latter of which shutout the Privateers in 2.1 frames of work. Giving up a single unearned run on the day, freshman southpaw A.G. Ayala would take the loss unfortunately, moving his record to 1-1 in 2018.

• The Islanders were again boosted by a big day from the top two-thirds of the order, with their first six batters accounting for six of their seven knocks and two of their five RBI
• Left fielder Thomas Jeffries IV finishes his week against UNO 6-for-14 (.429) at the plate, with an RBI and a stolen base
• Balfantz is 4-for-8 (.500) in his last three appearances for the Islanders, moving his average to .300 for the season
• Anderson is currently on a four-game hit streak, accruing five singles in that span
• Cole Carter's shutout appearance is his fifth of the season, he leads all Islanders with four wins on the season

COMING UP NEXT
The Blue and Green go heads up against visiting University of Texas this Tuesday at Whataburger Field, in a game sponsored by Corpus Christi Rehabilitation Hospital, just two years removed from downing the Horns 5-0 in Austin in 2016. The Islanders have already beaten a Big 12 team this year, run-ruling Oklahoma in Norman just three weeks ago. 

The Islanders' upcoming contest against Texas can be followed via the live stream provided by the Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas.

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