CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – In perhaps the most competitive, entertaining and contentious series of the non-conference schedule, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team leaned on a grizzled veteran, an old warrior and a precocious freshman to secure a series win over the University of Texas at San Antonio on Sunday with a thrilling 6-4 victory at Chapman Field.
Following a 4-2 victory in Game 1 and a narrow 5-4 loss in 12 innings in Game 2, Sunday's victory gives the Islanders (9-9) wins in three out of the past four games against their former conference rivals. Prior to that, the Roadrunners had won 16 of 21 since 2014.
"This was a college baseball dogfight," A&M-Corpus Christi coach
Scott Malone said. "Both teams were competing at the highest level trying to win a series. UTSA is loaded. They have a strong reputation as winners and a team with a monster offense. Our pitching staff was elite all weekend. I can't say enough about how well they did to slow down the UTSA offense."
The Roadrunners (8-8) came into the series batting .324 as a team with 101 runs scored in 13 games. And they were coming off a game in which they bludgeoned Tarleton State for 21 runs on 19 hits, including four home runs. Yet in three games, Islanders pitching held the Roadrunners to just 11 runs on 24 hits, dropping their team batting average 22 points to .302.
Sunday, it was
Zach Garcia's turn to run the gauntlet. And he came out unscathed.
The junior lefty went six strong innings, allowing just one unearned run on five hits and three walks. He left after 98 pitches, turning it over to the bullpen. But after the first five batters reached base in the seventh inning, scoring three times to tie the game, Malone went back to the bullpen and found a hidden gem.
Kendall Dove, a 6-foot-5 freshman who had thrown just 6.2 innings this season, immediately came in throwing gas. With two runners on, he got the first two batters looking, then induced a ground ball that shortstop Issac Webb and first baseman
Mason Persons turned into a web gem.
UTSA pinch-hitter James Taussig sent a sharp grounder to the hole between shortstop and third base. Webb ranged to his right, picked it clean off the dirt and threw a strike across his body that Persons scooped to complete the game-saving play.
Dove did the rest, holding the Roadrunners to no runs on just one hit over three innings to get the first win of his career.
"Getting ahead early was huge today," Malone said. "
Zach Garcia took full advantage and really attacked UTSA. He did a great job of never letting UTSA get comfortable. He changed speeds and attacked their hitters with strikes and tempo. And
Kendall Dove was truly the highlight of the day coming into a spot, second and third no outs. They had all the momentum, and he helped us climb out of a big hole – maybe the biggest hole we were in all weekend. So he's the guy that that deserves a ton of credit for getting us out of a jam and then continuing to go right at those guys. I'm super proud of him. It's kind of a grow-up day for that freshman. It was super fun."
It was pretty fun offensively for the Islanders as well.
Perhaps the highlight of the day offensively was watching catcher
Chance Reisdorph emerge from an early-season slumber. The junior had seen his average drop to .257 before Sunday, and he had only driven in only two runs with no home runs in 13 games this season.
All that changed Sunday.
With two on and two out in the bottom of the first inning, Reisdorph jumped all over the first pitch he saw and deposited it over the wall in left field. Left fielder Caleb Hill made a valiant effort to haul it in, but the ball bounced off his glove and over the wall.
"It felt amazing," Reisdorph said about his first home run of the year. "I have been spending a lot of extra time at the field to find my flaws when it comes to hitting. It felt good to catch one on the barrel. I definitely thought it had a chance to leave, so when it did I was fired up."
While Reisdorph was worked to find his stroke, his defense has never lagged. The junior was warrior on Sunday, putting on a clinic in how to play catcher. Not letting a single ball past him and throwing out a pair of runners on swinging strikes.
"Defense is always my number one focus as a catcher," Reisdorph said. "It makes it a lot easier to be defensively sound when our pitchers are pounding the strike zone. I love where we are as a team, and the chemistry we have is the driving force behind our success."
Well, third baseman
Sebastian Trinidad has been pretty important too. The senior stalwart was a one-man wrecking crew throughout the weekend, raising his average 54 points by going 7-for-12 with six runs driven in, more than doubling his season RBI total to 11.
Trinidad, who drove in all four Islander runs on Saturday, knocked in the first Islander run Sunday with a single just before Reisdorph's blast. He drove in the last Islander run Sunday as well, driving in
Josh Blount with a single up the middle on a full count in the eighth inning.
"I think just trusting the plan our coaches have for us at the plate is the biggest factor," Trinidad said. "I wouldn't say I was seeing the ball like a beach ball, but the confidence kept building for sure as I kept coming through for the team. For me, what's kept me in the zone is just thinking about getting the job done – whether it's moving the runner, driving in a run, or just getting the next guy up."
The 2-6 hitters in the A&M-Corpus Christi lineup combined for all eight Islander hits and five of the six runs.
Drake Kerr went 1-for-4,
Garrett Gruell was 2-for-4, Blount was 1-for-4, Trinidad was 2-for-4 and Reisdorph was 2-for-4. Trinidad and Reisdorph combined for all five RBIs.
It was a particularly sweet finale for Trinidad, who was involved in a minor dustup Saturday when UTSA's Tye Odom slid into third, came up and pushed Trinidad, causing a few anxious moments as tensions on both benches were raised. UTSA coach Pat Hallmark eventually got tossed from the game, leading to his suspension from Game 3.
"What happened during game two just threw more gasoline on the fire that was already burning," Trinidad said. "Getting the series win felt more like unfinished business from last year when we got swept at their house."
A&M-Corpus Christi scored the eventual winning run Sunday in the most mundane fashion.
After Kerr led off the inning by reaching on an error, Blount singled through the left side with one out, sending Kerr to third. Then, with Trinidad at the plate, UTSA pitcher Daniel Garza was in danger of a pitch clock violation and hurried his throw to the plate. It led to a balk, bringing in Kerr.
The Islanders now have six of their last eight games, a stretch that began with a 2-1 win over South Texas rival UTRGV. Those two will face off again at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the continuation of the South Texas Showdown at Chapman Field.
"Heading into UTRGV on Tuesday, we're playing good baseball and then that's it. It starts there, stops there," Malone said, "You try not to get caught up worrying about the opponent or what's going on with them. I know our schedules are extremely difficult. I know our guys are staying the course, and we're pitching and playing good defense and getting timely hitting. If we can keep doing that, it's gonna be a good season."
TAMUCC (9-9, 0-0 SLC)
March 8 – vs. UTSA, W (4-2)
March 9 – vs. UTSA, L (5-4, 12 inn.)
March 10 – vs. UTSA, W (6-4)
Up Next: The Islanders will play Game 2 of the South Texas Showdown against UTRGV at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Chapman Field. The Islanders won Game 1 of the series 2-1 on Feb. 28 in Edinburg. The third and final game of the series will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14 at Chapman Field. A&M-Corpus Christi will play another single game the following day against Houston-Victoria at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Chapman Field.
