CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball program walked off against Nicholls in game one of the series, hitting a double in the bottom of the ninth for a hard-fought 7-6 victory at Chapman Field.
"It felt like a Southland game with two boxers trying to knock each other down and neither will back down," said head coach
Scott Malone. "It's good to see our guys get off the bench like that on a Friday night. This is the second time I'm saying [senior]
Dom Lopez's name as he came out and got a big out."
The Islanders fell to a 4-0 deficit in the early part of the game before striking back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. The momentum kept on building as they scored one run in tyhe fifth and sixth, the latter tying the game for the first time of the night. The battle of the bats persisted in the eighth inning as both teams scored one more run before a double in the bottom of the ninth earned the victory.
Junior
Brendan Ryan lead the way with two hits on the night as sophomore
Brandon Petkoff matched the feat as well in the same number of at-bats. Both accomplished something the other didn't as Ryan scored a run on the night and Petkoff drew a walk, both showing talent in different ways. Senior
Steven Rivera-Chijin scored the most for the Islanders, coming home twice as five other teammates made it home safely once.
Only two days removed from typing the single-season record in doubles on a season, Rivera-Chijin showed up big for the Islanders, hitting their 23rd triple of the season. With the triple, A&M-Corpus Christi is now the lone university to lead the nation in triples, breaking a four-way tie that included a conference opponent as well as Power Five school.
"I think it means we have a good combination of talent and athleticism," said Malone about gaining the triple national lead. "These are guys who can hit and can run. That's how you build a team and it's the style of offense we want to run."
Junior
Hayden Thomas made his third Friday start on the season, going 6.1 innings on the mound and earning five strikeouts. Freshman
Clay Westbrook came out to face one batter in the seventh inning before senior
Dom Lopez closed out the inning, making his second consecutive appearance. Sophomore
JT Moeller pitched 1.2 innings for two strikeouts with
Cassius Shy, a senior, being the last Islander pitcher, collecting an out.
A&M-Corpus Christi has extended its winning streak to three and looks to continue down the path tomorrow as the two teams face off in game two at 2:00 p.m. at Chapman Field.
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