CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Coming off a midweek win over Texas Southern, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi continued its stream of impressive home performances, with a 9-4 victory over visiting McNeese this Friday.
With the night's lead changing hands just twice, the Islanders spotted the visiting Cowboys a single run in the first inning, before taking back a permanent advantage in the bottom half of the frame. After reaching first on a fielder's choice,
Harrison DiNicola would be the first Islander to cross home plate, coming all the way home on
Drake Osborn's double to left center.
Thomas Jeffries IV followed up Osborn's at bat with a double of his own to put his side up 2-1, as the Blue and Green held onto their lead for the remainder of the contest.
After his side scored on an error in the second, Dinicola would improve his team's advantage to 5-1 in the third, with his sixth bomb of 2018. Starting third baseman
Jackson Owens began the frame with a leadoff single, before his fellow teammate launched a two-run jack to right field on the first pitch of his at bat.
The Cowboys would pull one back in the top half of the fifth, before Corpus Christi added another pair of runs in the sixth.
Nick Anderson moved himself into scoring position with his second triple of the season, before a
Dalton Stark single put the Islanders ahead 6-2. The center fielder went on to cross home plate on an
Itchy Burts' single later in the frame, with the latter extending his active hitting streak to 13.
Tallying a pair of runs in the seventh, McNeese seemed poised to make a comeback against the hosting side, but the Islanders would quickly vanquish that opportunity on a two-run homer from Stark in the bottom half. Following up on an Osborn single, Stark recorded his first bomb of the year, launching a shot to right field that cleared the wall by over 20 feet.
With four runs credited to his name, starter
Aaron Hernandez took home the win in game one of his side's series against McNeese, moving his record to 3-5 on the year. The right hander struck out five during his 6.1 IP on the hill, before bullpen arms
Cole Carter and
Chris Cooper combined for the final 2.2 IP of work. Carter recorded three strikeouts against the eight batters he faced, while Cooper registered a shutout ninth inning to help his team take home a 9-4 win.
- Burts' 13-game hitting streak is just a single contest short of the team season-best Andriud Martinez recorded earlier this year
- Stark's bomb was his first of the year, while his three RBI are a season personal best
- Dinicola's jack puts him in a team-lead with six, while his squad's total of 25 are already two more homers than they had all of 2017
- With their win over McNeese, the Islanders are still within two games of the final spot in this year's Southland Conference tournament
- With his five strikeouts, Hernandez now has a total of 88 on the season, putting him within 29 of his program's single season record
COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders look to secure their third SLC series win of the year, with a McNeese rematch on Saturday at 4 PM. Right hander
Dustin Lacaze is scheduled to take the hill for Corpus Christi, while lefty Bryan King takes the bump for the Cowboys.
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- Go Islanders -
