CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi scored 11 of its 15 runs in a pair of breakout fourth-inning efforts in the Sunday doubleheader, opening the day with a 5-1 victory before battering Central Arkansas by a 10-4 margin to clinch the series and earn the sweep at Chapman Field.
With the sweep, the Islanders collect their second-straight Southland series and have won seven of their last eight games.
Game 1 – A&M-Corpus Christi 5, UCA 1
Starting hurler
John Gaddis tossed his second complete-game gem in as many starts while the Islanders hung a decisive five spot in the fourth to seal a 5-1 game-one win and lock up the Southland series against the Bears.
Gaddis (2-3) kept UCA off the board for six frames, limiting them to one run on five hits while striking out four in his second-straight 7.0 inning performance.
The Islanders plated all five of their runs in the fourth, as back-to-back walks set the table for a
Tyler Byrd single that promptly loaded the bases before a Bears' errant throw,
Cole Fluta single and sacrifice bunt quickly built a 4-0 Islander cushion.
Itchy Burts topped off the Islanders' scoring with a sacrifice fly that allowed Fluta to trot home after advancing to third on a wild pitch.
Central Arkansas broke up Gaddis' scoreless stretch in the sixth with an Orlando RBI single that plated Emmet, but would get no closer as the Islanders slammed the door by retiring four of the next five batters faced.
Game 2 – A&M-Corpus Christi 10, UCA 4
The Islanders tallied three multi-run innings, including a marathon six-run scoring bonanza in another breakout fourth to cruise to a 10-4 final and complete their first Southland series sweep of the season.
UCA took the initial 3-0 lead ahead of the Islanders' big fourth and looked to add more in its two-run third, but
Jaime Ramirez Jr. worked around a two-out, bases-loaded jam with two consecutive strikeouts to limit the damage.
A&M-Corpus Christi turned a 3-0 deficit into a 6-3 home lead in a momentum-shifting fourth, as four of the first five batters found base in an inning that saw 12 batsmen step to the plate.
Mike Williams got things going with a left-field single – his first of two in the frame – while a
Josh Caraway double brought home two and trimmed it to a one-run Bears' lead.
After the Bears went to their bullpen, the Islanders piled on runs thanks to a fielder's choice, single and muffed throw to score three more before Williams picked up where he left off earlier with another single that scored the sixth run in a déjà vu frame.
The Islanders hung a pair of two-spot efforts in the fifth and seventh to leave no doubt in the convincing win while
Jaime Ramirez Jr. (4-1) turned in his second win of the series on a one-hit, no-run outing through 3.0 innings.
Breaking up an eight-game home stand, the Islanders close out their non-conference slate with a road trip to UTRGV on Tuesday, April 20 for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
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