SLC Championship Central |
Watch ESPN+ |
Live Stats
HAMMOND, Louisiana - An eighth inning comeback fell short for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball program as they dropped to HBU 5-4 in round one of the 2022 Southland Conference Championship on Tuesday at North Oak Park.
The Islanders (23-26, 11-7), who entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and made their first appearance since 2015, led HBU (17-27, 4-13) 2-0 through four innings.
The lead-off hitter, junior
Pal Egan, singled in the first inning to get herself on base with no outs. The single marked her 100th career hit as an Islander.
Junior
Ashleigh Sgambelluri also singled in the first to drive in Egan for the early 1-0 lead. In the second, back-to-back doubles by sophomores
Haley Morse (All-Conference Second-Team) and
Kimane Rogron took the game to 2-0, with Rogron being accredited the RBI.
A big fifth inning for the Huskies gave them the 3-2 lead, but A&M-Corpus Christi responded in the next frame after freshman
Siarah Galvan singled to left field to score sophomore
Gabriella Torres to tie the game up 3-3. Galvan entered the game in the top of the fifth as relief in the circle and ended up going 2-for-2 at the plate. She was an All-Conference Third-Team selection.
The game was tied through the seventh inning to take the game to an extra inning. An error on the Islanders scored two Huskies in the top of the eighth. With the top of the order due up, the Islanders headed to the bottom of the eighth with the chance to force another extra inning or walk it off for the win.
Egan, recently named Southland Conference's Hitter of the Year, Player of the Year and was a First-Team selection, tripled to right center field to open the chance up for a comeback. Sophomore
Sydney Hoyt, an All-Conference Third-Team member, singled right after for the RBI, bringing the Islanders within one run, but three outs ended their comeback and the game went in HBU's favor 5-4.
Due to the double-elimination format of the tournament, the Islanders will still have a chance at the title by continuing play in the losers bracket. A&M-Corpus Christi will play No. 7 Nicholls (12-37, 4-14) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, which can be streamed on ESPN+. The matchup comes after Nicholls lost to No. 2 Southeastern (38-14, 14-4) 10-2 in game three of the tournament.
If the Islanders beat Nicholls, they will have to play and win three games on Thursday to make it to the Championship match set for Friday at 12:30 p.m.
The Southland Tournament champion will receive the league's automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. Regional competition at the NCAA Tournament will be held May 20-22 at sites to be determined.
Notes
- With 23 wins, this year marks the program's winningest season since 2011.
- This is A&M-Corpus Christi's first time appearing in the Southland Conference Tournament since 2015. They have never won the conference title before.
- Egan was named SLC Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year. This was the first time in program history that a player won either award.
- Egan ended the regular season on a 25-game streak of reaching base. She is now at 26 games.
- Sgambelluri was honored with the final SLC Hitter of the Week award, the third weekly award for the Islanders this year. Senior
Grace Gilbert earned two SLC Pitcher of the Week accolades this year.
- A&M-Corpus Christi has stolen a base in 33 of its 49 games. The team has a total of 64 stolen bases this year, compared the its opponents with 54. The Islanders are 24-14 in home runs against opponents and 63-56 in doubles.
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
