CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – It was a moment as shocking as it was disappointing.
After clawing back to tie the Nicholls State baseball team heading into the ninth inning Saturday at Chapman Field, the Islanders watched as three pitchers combined to give up seven runs on four hits, two walks and two wild pitches, leading to an 11-4 loss and a three-game sweep at the hands of the Colonels.
"It was just one of those weekends where things didn't go our way from the start, really in any aspect," A&M-Corpus Christi coach
Scott Malone said. "The way the weekend was going, we kept talking about we were going to have to win one the hard way. We were gonna have to steal one from them, and we gave ourselves a great chance there late."
It was a crushing end to what had been an exhilarating rally from a three-run deficit.
In a stark contrast to the previous two games of the series in which the teams combined for 46 hits and 31 runs, A&M-Corpus Christi's
Zach Garcia and Nicholls' Michael Quevedo brought a little sanity to the proceedings by allowing eight hits and just two runs combined through the first four innings.
The Colonels touched Garcia for a pair of runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead. And that's when the Islanders staged their comeback.
Bryce Logan led off the seventh with a single to right, then an out later
Garrett Gruell laced a double to the wall in center field to drive in Logan and cut the lead to 4-2.
An inning later,
Cole Modgling singled to left with two outs and went to second on a wild pitch.
Logan Vaughan was called on to pinch hit, and he delivered by blooping a double into no-man's land behind third base, scoring Modgling. After Logan was hit by a pitch,
Sebastian Trinidad – who singled in the Islanders' first run of the game – singled in the last run as well, scoring pinch runner Issac Webb for a 4-4 tie.
The Islanders (13-19 overall, 2-4 in the Southland Conference) nearly added more, as Gruell got in to one that the left fielder had to chase down, possibly saving two more runs.
"You know, we get to
Garrett Gruell there, first and third, and he's got a ton of RBIs," Malone said. "He hit that ball deep to left where the guy ran it down, but I think Garrett would tell you that wasn't his best at-bat. The game was on the line with one of our big guys up, but we just didn't come through. That was the story of the weekend. Anytime they had their guy up in a big spot, it felt like they got the big hit time and time again."
Even still, the Islanders had momentum and newfound hope after climbing back to tie it 4-4.
Yet before the crowd of 252 could settle down after the manic comeback, Nicholls (20-10, 3-3) was off and running. The first two batters singled on the first two pitches of the inning, then an attempted sacrifice bunt turned into a bases-loaded situation when the Islanders tried to get the lead runner at third but was just late with the throw.
A bases-loaded single through the right side brought in two runs to break the tie, then a wild pitch brought in another. After a sacrifice fly brought in another run, Nicholls had four runs and led 8-4 after just seven pitches. And they weren't done.
Two walks and a single loaded the bases again, then another sacrifice fly and a throwing error brought in two more. One more wild pitch brought in the final run.
"Our bullpen just wasn't where it needed to be, whether that's me and Coach (Scott) Kelly with the sequencing going to the right guy or whether it's just those kids coming through the gate being ready to come get an out," Malone said. "We didn't get our job done, so we'll have to put it behind us and get ready for a new week next week."
The top of the order for A&M-Corpus Christi – Trinidad, Gruell and
Chance Reisdorph – combined to go 6-for-14 with three RBIs. The trio all moved up in the order because the regular leadoff man, Webb, was relegated to pinch-running duties thanks to a tweaked shoulder from the night before. His replacement at shortstop, Logan, was 2-for-2 with a run scored.
The Islanders will look to rebound with a midweek game Tuesday against Prairie View A&M at Chapman Field, followed by an exhibition game against the Corpus Christi Hooks on Wednesday at Whataburger Field. The Islanders return to conference play April 5-7 in Natchitoches, La., against Northwestern State.
"We talked in the postgame meeting about how good the Southland Conference is," Malone said. "A week ago today, Nicholls State was oh-and three coming off being swept at home. They were down and feeling just miserable, and now all of a sudden they bounce back and win three in a row. That's gotta be us. It's a long Easter weekend, so I told the guys we just gotta get away from it a little bit, recharge the batteries and come back next week and get ready for it. It's always tough on the road this league, so it never gets easy."
TAMUCC (13-19, 2-4 SLC)
March 28 – vs. Nicholls, L (7-3)
March 29 – vs. Nicholls, L (13-8)
March 30 – vs. Nicholls, L (11-4)
On Deck: The Islanders will venture out of conference to play a single game at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Prairie View A&M at Chapman Field. They then will face the Corpus Christi Hooks in an exhibition game at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday at Whataburger Field.
Next Conference Game: The Islanders return to conference play April 5-7 on the road against Northwestern State. The teams will play Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
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