CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi had its highest offensive production of the season in this Sunday's finale with Utah Valley, putting up 17 hits in a 15-9 victory. The game four-win gives the Islanders three straight victories on the week, while securing another series win and a 10-2 start to the 2018 season.
Improving their record to 8-0 when scoring in the first inning, the Islanders jumped on the visiting Wolverines early, scoring on a pair of RBI from
Harrison DiNicola and
Nick Anderson. Dincola hit his second triple of the year in the opening frame to score left fielder
Itchy Burts, while a double from
Enrique Sanchez Jr. in the third would guarantee a 4-0 advantage for the Blue and Green in the early goings.
UVU would not go quietly however, hanging three runs in the top of the fifth and adding another five off of three hits and a pair of errors in the sixth. Playing from behind for the third time in the series, Corpus Christi once again made a heroic comeback to knot things at eight apiece. Three straight singles from
Thomas Jeffries IV,
Luke Marbach and Dinicola pulled the Islanders within two in the bottom half of the sixth, while a wild pitch and another sac fly from Jeffries knotted things up before the end of the seventh.
After loading the bases with just one out, the Wolverines would be held to just a single run in the eighth, thanks to some impressive work out of the bullpen from right-hander
Cole Carter. Carter tallied the last two outs of the frame on a strikeout and a fielder's choice, while his single walk surrendered, allowed a 9-8 lead for the visitors.
With UVU scraping the bottom of the barrel for relievers, the Blue and Green jumped on their opportunities in the bottom half of the inning, scoring five runs on four hits. After a bases loaded hit by pitch earned Corpus Christi the go ahead run, Jeffries would again come through for the Islanders with his second home run of the season. The outfielder dropped a three-run bomb later in the inning to put the home team ahead 15-9, while a perfect ninth for Carter secured the series win for this past weekend.
- Jeffries finished the afternoon with four RBI, tying the career-high he set against Nicholls earlier this season. He currently sits tied for a team-lead with 13 runs driven in on the year
- The Islanders' 17 hits and 15 runs are both season-highs for the Blue and Green, they are averaging 10 and 7.25 in those respective categories in 2018
- Slashing .615/.625/.769, third baseman Enrique Sanchez Jr. currently leads Corpus Christi in all three categories, while making six appearances overall
- Sanchez had a perfect 5-for-5 day on Sunday, hitting 8-for-9 in his last three appearances
- Drake Osborn improved hit hitting streak to nine straight games, while Martinez has earned a knock in his past 10. Osborn is yet to go without a hit in any game he's earned an at bat this season
- Dinicola is riding a nine-game hit streak of his own currently, he lead's Coach Malone's squad with eight extra-base knocks and three home runs
- Carter earned the win against UVU for his 1.2 innings of work. The righty has a team-high three wins at the moment, averaging 11.42 K/9
COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders face former Southland member UTSA this Tuesday, splitting their home and home series with the Roadrunners over the past two years at 2-2. The Blue and Green tallied a 5-2 win the last time they played with UTSA, with current Islander
Nick Anderson tying a career-high three RBI in that contest.
The Blue and Green's approaching contest with the Roadrunners can be followed via the live stream provided by the Islander Digital Network, powered by AEP Texas.
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- Go Islanders -
