SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi baseball program (11-6-0, 2-1 Southland) sealed a crucial conference series over Incarnate Word (9-7-0, 1-2 Southland) in Sunday afternoon's game three, plowing past the Cardinals by a 11-6 decision at Sullivan Field in San Antonio, Texas. After enduring nearly two full innings of a tied 3-3 game, junior
Drake Osborn managed to break the logjam late in the fifth frame with a two-out, bases-loaded grand slam over the left-field wall, pushing the Islanders out to a lead they would never surrender.
KEY INNINGS
Top | 3rd
- With both
Steven Rivera-Chijin (single) and
Itchy Burts (reached on error) set up in scoring position,
Joey Werner tacked on the first run of the game for the Blue & Green with an RBI groundout to shortstop, knotting the score at 1-1.
- A triple into right field from
Enrique Sanchez Jr. allowed Burts ample time to score, pushing the Islanders up for the first time in the matchup, 2-1.
-
Mike Williams closed out the frame with a two-out single into left field, plating Sanchez Jr. and granting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi an early 3-1 advantage.
Bottom | 3rd
- The Cardinals battled back with a pair of solo homers, resetting the game back to a tied 3-3.
Top | 5th
- With two outs and the bases loaded -- Sanchez Jr. reached on an error, Williams walked and
Luke Marbach hit-by-pitch -- Osborn stepped in and proceeded to belt the first pitch of the at-bat over the left-field fence, jolting the Islanders out to a 7-3 edge. The four-run jack serves as the junior catcher's first of the season and the team's eighth overall.
Top | 8th
- Following a three-run seventh frame, Marbach wrapped up the Islanders' scoring antics with an RBI double into left field, pushing the lead to an 11-3 margin.
Bottom | 8th
- The Cardinals tacked on the final runs of the game behind a three-run homer in the eighth, closing the gap to five runs before the Blue & Green bullpen closed out the win.
ON THE MOUND
- Senior
Dylan Duarte received another late-series start on the hill for the Blue & Green, tossing 2.2 frames with three strikeouts and three runs allowed on six hits. Junior
David Worrell served as the first Islander out of the bullpen, surrendering no runs on just three hits with a pair of strikeouts across 1.2 innings of work.
- Sophomore
John Gaddis (2-1) picked up the victory behind 2.2 frames of his own, retiring one batter on strikes while allowing just one run (unearned) on four hits. Freshman
Hayden Thomas and senior
Cody LeCompte combined for the final 2.0 innings, giving up two runs on two hits with a strikeout each.
COMING UP NEXT
The Islanders shift focus away from conference action with a pair of midweek matchups, initially traveling to Edinburg, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon for the opening round of the South Texas Showdown with UT-Rio Grande Valley before returning to Corpus Christi for a Wednesday night matchup against UMass at 6 p.m.
STAY SOCIAL
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@IslandersBSB), Instagram (
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-- Go Islanders --
