NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team faced a hot Stephen F. Austin squad and couldn't match the offensive pace, falling 13-5 Sunday at Pilgrim's Park.
The Islanders (2-0) got behind after the first and SFA (3-1) never relented from there to stay ahead the whole way despite a five-run outing in the sixth in an attempt to cut the deficit.
"Tough day for us," said head coach
Scott Malone. "We performed so poorly on the mound Saturday afternoon that is rolled over into today. The SFA offense came in hot and confident, and they jumped on us again today early and made us play from behind."
A&M-Corpus Christi's push all came in the sixth when junior
Drake Kerr got it going with the lead-off single. Junior
Garrett Gruell then blasted his second home run of the weekend as he finally tacked on two for the Islanders.
Junior
Stephen Hom then reached on the base hit to left before sophomore
Chance Reisdorph drove him in with the opposite knock to right as the Islanders got within 8-3. Reisdorph placed himself in scoring position with the successful stolen base as sophomore
Christian Smith-Johnson took his turn with the RBI-single.
He then rounded home for the fifth run of the inning for the Islanders after junior
Isaac Webb sent one to right field as the Islanders trailed just 8-5 after the outing. Though, SFA got disciplined and didn't allow another opportunity for the Islanders.
Despite the loss, the Islanders got the season started on the right foot as the 3-1 win over Central Michigan Friday night marked not only the program's 19th season-opening win but also Malone's 400th career win at the helm. He now hoists a 401 win-total after the weekend and will look to build on that mark as the 2024 campaign continues.
"We have to get refocused for a challenging week two. We'll play five games in Corpus Christi with opponents from the Big 12, Big 10, PAC 12, and ACC. College sport fans in South Texas better get ready for the best big names from all over the NCAA landscape," said Malone.
Hinted at, the Islanders will look to recover in a slew of ballgames in their home city this week. They will first play visitor in Whataburger Field to Kansas Tuesday night despite the city location before having their official home opener Wednesday against Texas Southern at Chapman Field. A&M-Corpus Christi will then host its annual Kleberg Bank College Classic over the weekend, playing three games at Whataburger Field against Maryland, Washington, and Pittsburgh.
Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Baseball, follow the team on Twitter (
@IslandersBSB), Instagram (
@IslandersBSB) and like their Facebook page (
Islanders Baseball).
#ShakasUp
