Baseball falls in series finale at Lamar, 10-4

Story Headlines
- The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi baseball program dropped game three Sunday afternoon at Lamar, faltering by a final 10-4 decision to the Cardinals at Vincent-Beck Stadium in Beaumont, Texas.
- Despite the Islanders battling back from an early three-run deficit, knotting the game at 4-4 midway through the seventh inning, late production from Lamar helped the Cardinals lock up the series sweep.
- On the year, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi falls to 24-15 overall and 10-8 in league competition.
- Lamar improves to an 13-23 record with a 5-13 mark in Southland play.

Islander Statistics
- The Islanders scored four runs on eight hits with two errors while Lamar pushed across 10 runs on 16 hits with two errors of their own.
- Only Thomas Jeffries IV and Cole Fluta -- batting eighth and ninth, respectively -- managed to post multi-hit performances on the day, picking up two apiece with one run scored each.
- Enrique Sanchez Jr. notched two RBIs on a 1-of-4 showing at the plate, shooting a single up the middle for one and earning the second on a sacrifice fly.
- Itchy Burts and Trevor Beard accounted for the game's other two RBIs as each picked up one hit on the day.
- Cody LeCompte (4-2) tallied the loss after taking over in the bottom of the seventh, surrendering the go-ahead two-run homer to the Cardinals.
- True freshman Mason Hopkins received the start, working through 1.2 frames with three runs allowed on five hits, while John Gaddis served in primary relief, holding off Lamar for 4.2 innings. The sophomore retired a team-high five batters on strikes while giving up just one run on five hits.

Islander Key Innings
- Two outs deep into the third, Fluta blooped a double down the right-field line, setting up Sanchez Jr. to score him during the next at-bat with a single up the middle and cut the LU lead to 3-1.
- Following a Steven Rivera-Chijin double to leadoff the fifth, Beard opened the door for another run on a hard-hit ball to second base. The junior catcher managed to reach first anyway due to a fielding error, pulling the Islanders within two of Lamar. A Jeffries IV single advanced Beard to second before a well-placed Fluta sac bunt placed runners at second and third just one out down. Sanchez Jr. took advantage the ensuing at-bat, blasting a pitch out to left field and pulling the Blue & Green within one, now trailing just 4-3. 
- Jeffries IV opened the seventh by reaching on an error by the shortstop, and worked his way over to third on a bunt single and fielder's choice. The senior crossed home plate on a sac bunt from Burts, knotting the game at 4-4.

Up Next
- With the four-game road stretch concluded, the Islanders return to Corpus Christi for a Tuesday matchup against UTSA before hosting a Thursday through Saturday series with league foe Stephen F. Austin. Fans can purchase tickets HERE, watch live on the Islanders Digital Network and follow live statistics HERE.

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