Taylor leads Islanders past SFA, evens series 1-1

Story Headlines
- The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi baseball program put together a near-complete performance in Friday evening's game two against Stephen F. Austin, evening the series behind a 4-2 victory over the Lumberjacks at Chapman Field in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- The Islanders' John Gaddis (3-2) and SFA's Alex Palmer (3-5) persisted a pitching duel well into the matchup, but a three-run homer from Justin Taylor in the fourth managed to break the initial deadlock, granting the team its first lead of the series. After Mike Williams tacked on an insurance run during the sixth, the AMCC bullpen went to work across the final three innings, utilizing Mason Hopkins and David Worrell to seal the eventual victory.
- On the year, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi improves to 25-17 overall and 11-9 in league competition.
- Stephen F. Austin, meanwhile, falls to an 17-22 record with a 10-7 mark in Southland play.

Islander Statistics
- The Islanders scored four runs on five hits with no errors while SFA notched two runs on seven hits with no errors.
- Taylor picked up the start at catcher and earned his keep both behind and at the plate, catching two runners attempting a steal and jacking the eventual game-winning three-run homer.
- Williams posted the squad's other RBI beyond Taylor's home run, plating Luke Marbach on a double to deep right center late in the sixth frame.
- Gaddis (3-2) moved back above .500 as he tallied the win in his first-ever start for the program, pounding through 5.0 innings with no runs allowed on just three hits. In relief, both Hopkins and Worrell proved up the to task; the former struck out three while surrendering just two runs on three hits across 2.1 frames while the latter captured the save on 1.2 innings of work, giving up just one hit while retiring two on strikes.

Islander Key Innings
- Drake Osborn got things going in the fourth with a one-out single through the left side gap, and moved over to second following a Nick Anderson walk later in the frame. Taylor stepped in and blasted a 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence, notching just his third home run of the season as the Islanders surged to a 3-0 advantage.
- In the sixth, Marbach reached on a leadoff walk and worked his way over to second on a sacrifice hit from Osborn. During the next at-bat, Williams found the gap in right center, clinching a one-out double and scoring Marbach in the process.

Up Next
- With the series knotted at 1-1, the Islanders host a crucial rubber match Saturday afternoon against Stephen F. Austin, first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Chapman Field. Fans can purchase tickets HERE, watch live on the Islanders Digital Network and follow live statistics HERE.

Stay Social
- For more information on Islanders Baseball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersBSB), Instagram (@IslandersBSB) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Baseball).