CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – With the stench of one bad inning still lingering from the day before, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team needed all of about 20 minutes to relieve themselves of the foul memory.
During the second day of the Frost Classic on the campus of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, the Islanders scored early and often in both games of their doubleheader, beating Ohio University 5-3 in the opener and immediately following with a 7-2 rout of UT-Martin.
It was an impressive comeback considering the Islanders were still gnawing on a three-error, three-unearned run sixth inning the day before in a 4-2 loss to host UT-Chattanooga.
"After the tough inning yesterday, our focus this morning was on staying positive, learning from our mistakes and coming out strong in the first game," said senior
Taniece Tyson, who fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle on the day. "We wanted to reset mentally and approach the game with renewed determination."
That determination made its appearance in the bottom of the second inning against Ohio.
In what would become a theme during the two games, senior
Kimane Rogron found herself spearheading a rally by reaching on a leadoff single. She eventually came around to score the game's first run on a sacrifice fly by freshman
Karisa Lopez. Then, with two on and two out, junior catcher
Precious Aholelei doubled to the wall in left-center, driving in two and staking the Islanders (9-3) to a 3-0 lead.
Unfortunately, another theme would emerge two innings later.
The Bobcats (8-5) took advantage of five hits and an A&M-Corpus Christi error to score three times in the fourth inning, tying the game at 3. The Islanders committed two errors during the game after committing five in two games the day before, including four against UT-Chattanooga.
But A&M-Corpus Christi pitcher
Primrose Aholelei, as she tends to do, decided to take over. She held Ohio without a hit over the final three innings, giving her team time to score two unearned runs of their own in the sixth inning for a 5-3 lead.
Aholelei punctuated the victory with her seventh strikeout, ending the game and giving her 24 career victories, good for a tie for fourth on the school's all-time wins list. She also now has 247 career strikeouts, moving her into fourth place by herself. She's just three strikeouts shy of moving into a tie for third on the all-time list.
Following a quick break, the Islanders were back at it 45 minutes later against UT-Martin. And much like the first game, the Islanders wasted no time getting the bats going.
Before most fans could settle in, Rogron was standing on second with a one-out double. And before Rogron could settle in, she was jogging home thanks to a titanic blast from Tyson. Her second home run of the year gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead and plenty of momentum.
"In the second game, getting off to a quick start was crucial," Tyson said. "Starting with authority set a positive tone for the team and helped build momentum early on."
A&M-Corpus Christi added a run in the second on an RBI single by
Alina Jasso, then added one more in the fifth when Tyson hammered one to right-center, driving in Jasso.
"It's always satisfying to contribute in those key moments," Tyson said. "I hold high expectations for myself, and delivering in clutch situations is part of my role on the team."
Speaking of contributing, Rogron wasn't quite done.
The senior from France, who had seen her average dip to .250 as the day started, came up with one out in the sixth and the bases loaded. She unloaded them with one swing, sending a triple to the wall in right-center and giving the Islanders 7-0 lead.
"It was important for me to really focus on the ball and try to make good contacts," Rogron said. "Especially with bases loaded, my goal was for me to score my teammates no matter what, and that's what I did."
After going 3-for-4 with a double and a run in the first game, Rogron went 2-for-2 with a double, a triple, a run scored and three RBIs in the second game. In two games her average jumped 92 points to .342.
The top three batters in the order – Jasso, Rogron and Tyson – went 6-for-10 with seven RBIs and four runs scored in the second game.
"Our team today really focused on getting on base with good contacts and pushing each other to the next base instead of big swings. That's what made the difference today," Rogron said. "We just played for one another."
The 7-0 lead was more than enough for sophomores
Malia Williams and
Ariella Saenz. Williams, who had been used exclusively out of the pen thus far, got her first start and was superb. The transfer from Oregon allowed just two hits and no runs over four innings before turning it over to Saenz.
Saenz was able to close it out with three solid innings, but not before shaky defense reared its ugly head again. An error in the seventh led to two unearned runs for the Skyhawks (6-7). It was the fifth error of the game for the Islanders.
In four games at the Frost Classic, the Islanders have committed 12 errors. Of the 10 runs A&M-Corpus Christi has allowed, seven have been unearned.
The Islanders will play one more game in Tennessee before returning home, facing Georgetown at 9 a.m. today.
TAMUCC (9-3, 0-0 SLC)
Feb. 23-25 – at Frost Classic (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Feb. 23 – vs. Valparaiso W 2-1 | vs. UT-Chattanooga L 4-2
Feb. 24 – vs. Ohio W 5-3 | vs. UT-Martin W 7-2
Feb. 25 – vs. Georgetown (7-6) - 9 a.m. CT
Up Next: Following the Frost Classic, the Islanders will face another grueling test with five more games in three days at the 5
th Boerner Invitational in Arlington. A&M-Corpus Christi will only face three teams this time, however, with a doubleheader against host UT-Arlington on Thursday, Feb. 29, followed by two games on Friday, March 1 against UTSA and Grambling. The Islanders play UTSA again on Saturday, March 2 before heading back home.
Next Home Game: The Islanders begin a three-game series against Texas A&M-Commerce to start Southland Conference play on Friday, March 8 at Chapman Field. The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at noon Friday followed by a single game beginning at noon Saturday, March 9.
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
