HUNTSVILLE, Texas – A Bearkat four-spot in the ninth wiped out a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi lead and sent the series finale to extras where a Sam Houston single in the 10
th frame provided the walk-off finish in a 7-6 heartbreaker Sunday at Don Sanders Stadium.
Luke Marbach had himself a career day, going a spotless 4-for-4 from the plate with a double and three singles that accounted for one run and 2 RBI. The senior finished the series with seven hits and had back-to-back homers in yesterday's twin bill.
Entering the bottom of the ninth with a 6-2 lead, a Corbin Vines single sparked a scoring outburst that saw four of the first five batters reach base on singles to draw the home club within two, 6-4 before a wild pitch and sacrifice fly plated the two runs the Bearkats needed to decide it in extras.
Marbach's one-out double provided promise in the top half of the 10
th, but two quick outs ended the threat and led to the Bearkats' walk-off via a Bryce Holmes single through the right side to score the go-ahead run and claim the series.
The contest proved to be a tale of two halves, as the Islanders owned the scoring through the opening five frames beginning in the first with a leadoff hit by pitch and
Justin Taylor single that set the table for a
Mike Williams sacrifice fly that brought home a run for a 1-0 A&M-Corpus Christi lead.
A pair of walks combined with a Marbach 2-RBI single pushed the visitors' edge to 3-0 in the second and eventually ballooned to a 6-0 bulge on
Tre Jones and
Cole Fluta singles alongside a
Tristan Welch fielder's choice. The Islanders also benefited from shutdown pitching efforts from the combo of
Dylan Johnson and
JT Moeller to hold the Bearkats' bats in check through five.
The second-half scoring belonged to Sam Houston, as a leadoff walk and two singles brought home the Bearkats' first tally in the sixth which they added to the following frame on a J. Rodgers solo shot to make it 6-2 and set up the ninth-inning comeback.
In a game that saw 12 pitching changes between the two clubs, Sam Houston's pitching staff froze the Islander bats in the final five innings as
Tyler Miller (0-2) shouldered the A&M-Corpus Christi loss.
The Islanders face UTRGV in a South Texas Showdown matchup on Tuesday, March 30 in Edinburg at 7 p.m.
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