CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – In conditions better suited to ice capades than softball, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Stephen F. Austin softball teams decided to squeeze in a pair of games nonetheless Saturday at Cabaniss Field. And as the last brave souls shuffled their way to the warmth of their vehicles, it was the Islanders who had reason to celebrate thanks to a doubleheader sweep, 2-0 and 4-2, that continued an impressive start to the season.
With a 5-2 record through seven games, the Islanders are on pace to match last year's torrid start of 7-2, which was the program's best start since 2005, when A&M-Corpus Christi won its first nine games and 21 of its first 22. It's also just the third time in school history the Islanders have managed to win their first two games at home, joining both the 2005 and 2023 teams.
"We are extremely proud of the team's effort tonight," A&M-Corpus Christi coach
Kathleen Rodriguez said.
Not that it was easy. With winds gusting up to 33 miles per hour and wind chills near 33 as well, both games were battles of attrition that tended to sway as often as the flags in centerfield. Nothing highlighted that fact more than the top of the sixth inning, Game 2, Islanders clinging to a 3-2 lead.
After three consecutive walks loaded the bases with no outs, Rodriguez brought in starter
Siarah Galvan, who was pulled after 3.2 innings but reentered in the sixth. Galvan immediately got a comebacker for a force out at home, then induced a ground ball to shortstop
Karisa Lopez and another force out at home. Three pitches later, Galvan got SFA (1-6) designated hitter Amiah Galcatcher to fly out to
Isabella Hune, who made a nice running catch towards the line in right field to end the threat and preserve the lead.
"I was very happy with our defense tonight," Rodriguez said. "The team showed some grit in the sixth inning with bases loaded to get out of the jam. They used that momentum well going into the bottom half of the inning to add another insurance run."
The crowd of 248 hearty souls barely had time to appreciate the escape act when Montee Montilla punctuated the night air with a blast that sent the crowd and the Islanders into a frenzy. On the first pitch, Montilla sent a moon shot straight through the wind that was humming from right to left field. It was an awe-inspiring wallop the almost defied belief, if only because the weather appeared to make such a titanic feat an impossibility.
"It was definitely the hardest hit of my collegiate career," said Montilla, a junior who went 3-for-6 on the day. "The wind was definitely a factor today on both sides of the ball. Just trying to keep my hands warm was a challenge in itself."
The entirety of Game 2 of the doubleheader was a challenge as A&M-Corpus Christi trailed for only the third time this season when SFA scored an unearned run in the second inning to go up 1-0. But the Islanders managed to erase that deficit in short order, scoring three runs with two outs in the third inning to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Junior Sydney Campion sparked the rally by walking, stealing second, advancing to third on an error, then scoring on a passed ball to tie the game. Senior
Taniece Tyson followed with a laser to the wall in left field for a double, then freshman pinch-runner
Erin Villela went to third on a passed and scored on an RBI single by senior
Alina Jasso.
After a pitching change, Jasso stole second and went to third on an error, then came home with the eventual winning run on an RBI single by senior
Felixia Hinojosa.
"It's tough playing in these conditions because misery loves company," Montilla said. "It's easy to let those cold thoughts get to you, but you have a job to do. There is not much that I was thinking about in those moments other than the girls in the dugout."
One of those girls, senior ace
Primrose Aholelei, came on in relief to notch the first save of her career after doing yeoman's work in the opener.
The reining Southland Conference Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year tossed a 105-pitch complete game in Game 1, allowing just three hits while striking out six. She didn't allow a single batter to reach third base, and only three of the 27 batters she faced got as far as second.
"It honestly didn't feel like I threw 105 pitches, but I can say that it was definitely a struggle to pitch in those conditions for sure," Aholelei said. "As for getting a save in Game 2, it was unexpected to be in relief, but getting two wins as a team in those conditions was very satisfying for a home opener."
Aholelei now has 21 career wins, putting her just one win away from a tie for fifth on the school's career wins list. She also has 225 career strikeouts, moving her into sixth place on the career list and leaving her just 25 strikeouts short of the top three.
If that wasn't enough, Aholelei has also lowered her career ERA to 1.77, which is now behind only former all-American Sarah Pauly on the school's all-time list.
Aholelei got all the support she would need in the first inning, as Hune reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and then came around to score on a double to left-center field by Jasso.
The Islanders added some insurance in the sixth on a RBI single by junior
Paolina Baez that scored Jasso. Jasso finished the doubleheader going 3-for-6 with two runs and two RBIS, while the freshman Hune continued her torrid start with two hits, a run and two stolen bases on the day.
"Not only did those wins show our resilience, but also the teamwork and family culture we had in overcoming adversity together," Aholelei said.
The Islanders will look to continue their impressive start at 11 a.m. today, when they face the Lumberjacks in the finale of the three-game set at Cabaniss Field.
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islanderssball).
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