Extra Inning Excitement

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - It took 12 innings but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi came out on top in their series opener against Stephen F. Austin, dropping the Jacks by a final of 6-4 in this weekend's series opener. 

Corpus Christi wins have become synonymous with first inning runs this year, and the Blue and Green stayed true to form on Friday, establishing a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. After the Islanders' first two batters of the evening went down, first baseman Harrison DiNicola got a two-out rally started with his first single of the night, extending his hit streak to five straight contests. The junior's effort was followed up with a walk from Enrique Sanchez Jr., before Itchy Burts drove in the Islanders first run of the contest on a single to center field.

Falling behind 3-1 after four innings, Dinicola would once again get himself on base in the fifth, drawing an eight-pitch walk in his third plate appearance of the afternoon. Sanchez responded with the first home run of his Corpus Christi career, tying the evening's contest on a two-run shot over the right field wall. The junior's bomb was the Islanders' 19th of the year as things stayed knotted at 3-3 heading into the seventh.

Nick Anderson led off the seventh frame with his first of two hit by pitches on the afternoon, with the outfielder bringing his season total to 18. Sanchez recorded another hit on a single to right field, before Burts loaded the bases on a walk giving second baseman Andriud Martinez the chance to give his side the go ahead run with his team's sixth walk of the contest.

With the Islanders ahead by a single run going into the final frame, Corpus Christi looked destined to end Friday's contest in nine, but a game-tying run from the Jacks would insure that the pair reached extra innings.

Both sides remained scoreless over the next two frames before Enrique Sanchez would get the opportunity to play hero in the 12th. Jackson Owens and Anderson led off the inning with a single and a walk respectively, as Dinicola moved his teammates over on a sacrifice bunt. Sanchez grabbed his third knock of the night with a single up the middle to put the Islanders up by two, with lefty A.G. Ayala coming on to close out the affair in the bottom half.

After surrendering a walk, Ayala induced a popout in the bottom of the 12th, before a 1-6-3 double play clinched the 6-4 win for the Corpus Christi. Ayala was one of four relievers used by the Islanders on the day, as the Blue and Green arms combined for 15 strikeouts. Starter Aaron Hernandez was responsible for 10 of those Ks to bring his total to 79 on the year, with the ace walking just a single batter over 5.1 innings of work.

• Four Islander batters had multiple hits on the night, with Sanchez and Burts recording three each
• Sanchez' four RBI are a career-high for the third baseman, as he crossed home plate twice against the Jacks
• With two walks and a pair of HBP, Nick Anderson touched first four times on Friday. 11 Corpus Christi players reached safely on the night
• Hernandez has reached double-digit strikeouts four times this year, recording 10 Ks in each of his last two starts
• Combining for 10 walks as a team, the Islanders' total in game one is a new season-high

COMING UP NEXT
Due to some approaching inclement weather, the Islanders' previously scheduled game two against the Jacks has been moved up to a 12 PM first pitch. Right hander Chad Romere is expected to make his first weekend start of the year on Saturday, after holding Houston Baptist to a single hit over a four-inning Tuesday start the previous week.

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