A&M-Corpus Christi Puts Win Streak, Shutout Streak at Stake against McNeese

Islanders Game Notes | Islanders Digital Network | Live Stats

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A five-game winning streak and shutout streak will be put on the line when the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball program hosts McNeese at Chapman Field.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi (14-11, 5-1 SLC) and McNeese (11-18, 2-4 SLC) will play a Friday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a game Saturday at 12 p.m.
 
The Islanders have posted five consecutive shutouts for the first time in school history. The previous streak was four, set three times, most recently in 2011. The five-game winning streak is the program's longest since 2015. A&M-Corpus Christi hasn't won six in a row since 2011.
 
With a 5-1 SLC record, the Islanders are off to their best start in conference play since 2011. Last weekend, they registered a three-game sweep over Lamar. It was the first time in program history that the Islanders shutout an SLC team over an entire three-game series since joining the league in 2007.
 
Sophomore Beatriz Lara is 9-2 on the season and 4-0 in conference. In her last outing, she fired a complete-game shutout over Tarleton on Wednesday to earn the win. Lara carries a 1.93 ERA on the year and 0.53 ERA in conference. She has wins this year over UT Arlington, UTSA, Tarleton State, Texas Southern, Sam Houston and Lamar.
 
Fellow sophomore Jenika Lombrana has also gotten it done in conference with a 0.88 ERA. She's coming off a win over Tarleton on Wednesday where she threw 6.0 frames. On the season, Lombrana has punched out 48 strikeouts in 51.2 innings.
 
At the plate, sophomore Ashleigh Sgambelluri leads the team with a .353 average and .471 on-base percentage. She's on a six-game hitting streak and 10-game reached base safely streak. Sgambelluri is hitting for a .421 average in conference. She's etched a team-high seven multi-hit games on the year.
 
Sophomore Sammi Thomas is also hitting above .300 with a .312 average and a team-high .636 slugging. She leads the team in doubles (7), triples (3), homers (4), RBIs (22) and runs scored (22). In conference, Thomas is hitting for a whopping .611 average and 1.333 slugging.
 
Freshman Haley Morse has come-on strong as of late and is hitting for a .438 mark in conference. She's batted in eight RBIs in five conference games.
 
Freshman Alie Alcantar is on a five-game hitting streak. She tallied three hits in two games Wednesday against Tarleton.
 
McNeese is coming off a big mid-week win 9-3 over Houston on Tuesday. The Cowgirls also have non-conference wins over No. 20 Arkansas, Kansas and UTSA.
 
In conference, the McNeese took two of three from Central Arkansas in their first series before getting swept on the road at Sam Houston last weekend.
 
Senior Cori McCrary leads the team in nearly every statistical category at the plate with a .322 average, .632 slugging, nine doubles and six homers. The Cowgirls use four different arms in the circle with Jenna Edwards having the best numbers with a 2.36 ERA in 45.2 innings.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi will be going for its first win over McNeese since 2011.
 
NOTES
- A&M-Corpus Christi has outscored the opposition 13-1 in the seventh inning this year.
 
- The Islanders are a perfect 12-0 on the year when leading after four innings.
 
- A&M-Corpus Christi's lineup has featured a steady foursome. Junior Tiler Noyola and sophomores Pal Egan, Sgambelluri and Thomas have started in all 25 games. Though despite that, the Islanders have used 25 different batting orders in 25 contests.
 
- Egan hits for a .286 average and team-high .471 on-base percentage. She started the year by reaching base safely in each of the first 17 games.
 
- The Islanders have tallied back-to-back SLC series wins for the first time since 2015 when they took two of three from Abilene Christian and swept Incarnate Word.
 
- The 23 runs against Lamar last weekend were the most the Islanders scored in a series since 2011 when they swept Southeastern Louisiana 16-0, 11-3 and 6-1. A&M-Corpus Christi swept a three-game series for the first time since 2015 when it hosted Incarnate Word. It was also the first road series sweep since that same year against SHSU.
 
- In the three games at Lamar, A&M-Corpus Christi had three hitters bat above a .500 average. Thomas led the way for a .636 average and 1.273 slugging after going 7-for-11 with two doubles, a triple and a homer with seven runs scored. Sgambelluri notched a .600 average and .800 slugging, while Morse etched a .545 average.
 
- In the series win over Sam Houston, Lara threw two complete-games and earned two wins with a 2-0 ERA. Thomas hit for a .571 average, .700 on-base percentage and 1.429 slugging with two doubles, two triples and seven RBIs.
 
- Most recently, the Islanders swept a doubleheader over Tarleton State on Wednesday. It was the third win over the Texans this year after also taking a 13-3 decision in five innings at the Scrap Yard Blizzard Challenge on Feb. 20 in Conroe, Texas.
 
Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Softball, keep up with the team via their Facebook page (Islanders Softball) and follow the program on Twitter (@IslandersSball) and Instagram (islanderssball). 
 
#ShakasUp