CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – As far as conference-opening series go, it couldn't have gone much better for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team.
A day after a doubleheader sweep against Texas A&M-Commerce in which the Islanders got great pitching in Game 1 and great offense and defense in Game 2, they put it all together in a Game 3 whitewash Saturday at Chapman Field, resulting in an 8-0 shellacking that was called after five innings because of the run-rule.
"The girls came out strong today," A&M-Corpus Christi coach
Kathleen Rodriguez said. "They played a clean game on both sides of the ball. Commerce is a well-coached team with talented athletes, and to not respect that could get us in trouble."
It took all of about five minutes for the Islanders (15-6 overall, 3-0 in the Southland Conference) to establish what kind of day it would be, as
Primrose Aholelei followed up her two-hit, 1-0 victory in Game 1 by striking out the side on 18 pitches. The bottom of the first inning took much longer.
The first two batters flew out on just two pitches, but then the Islanders dropped the hammer. The smoking-hot
Taniece Tyson got it started with a double.
Monee Montilla followed with another double to drive in the first run.
Paolina Baez continued her red-hot weekend with an RBI single.
Sidney Campion walked and went to third on a throwing error, allowing Baez to score.
(DEEP BREATH)
Rhea-Ann Avalos walked.
Crystal Davila singled in Campion.
Precious Aholelei drove in two with a double. And
Alina Jasso singled.
When it was all done, the Islanders had sent 11 batters to plate, scored six runs on six hits, one stolen base and two passed balls in 18 minutes. And they did it all with two outs.
"That at-bat in the first was very exciting,"
Precious Aholelei said of her two-run double, which was her second hit of the season, both of which have been doubles. "It felt like a big accomplishment for me, knowing that my hitting is coming together slowly. I believe that was the best game we've had all year. Our bats were working since the beginning, and we've played alongside each other as if it were our last. We just came in today with the mindset to do damage and get the win."
That was more than enough for the other Aholelei – twin sister Primrose – who was at her spectacular best.
Prim allowed no runs on just two hits, neither of which left the infield. She tossed her third shutout of the season, lowering her ERA to 1.76. She also struck out eight, giving her a nationwide-best 108 for the season, and it was her ninth complete game of the season.
Charli Anger had the only two hits for the Lions (5-20, 0-3), one of which was a hotshot back to the pitcher, and the other a shot deep in the hole at short that Davila dove and smothered but couldn't recover to make a throw.
"Prim was great today," her sister – and catcher – Precious said. "She was locked in and got the job done. Every pitch that she threw worked perfect in our favor. It was as if she didn't have to do much. She had her defense there to back her up. Overall, she was amazing."
Defense, which had been a point of concern coming into conference play, was markedly improved. The Islanders committed just two errors in the three games, both coming in Game 1 and neither leading to any damage. The Islanders handled several tough chances Saturday with ease, including Jasso making a spectacular sliding grab in left field in the final inning to help preserve the shutout.
Speaking of Jasso, she happened to be on base with her second hit of the game when Tyson stepped up and does what she does.
Tyson, who went 3-for-3 on the day and 7-for-10 during the series to raise her average to .404, unloaded on a pitch right in her wheelhouse that landed just to the left of the scoreboard in left-center field. Her fourth-inning bomb was her sixth home run of the year, her 15
th RBI, and it raised her slugging percentage to .808, which leads the conference by nearly 50 points.
"My main focus was taking advantage of every at-bat and to bring in some RBIs," said Tyson, who was a triple shy of the cycle. "We were helping out our pitcher as much as we could. We wanted to go out there, compete and have fun."
Mission accomplished on all accounts.
"We are proud of our effort this weekend," Rodriguez said. "We will enjoy these wins for a bit, and then get right back to work tomorrow."
TAMUCC (15-6, 3-0 SLC)
March 8 – vs. Texas A&M-Commerce, W (1-0)
March 8 – vs. Texas A&M-Commerce, W (10-3)
March 9 – vs. Texas A&M-Commerce, W (8-0, 5 inn.)
Up Next: The Islanders will continue Southland Conference play with a three-game series in San Antonio against Incarnate Word. Unlike every other SLC series, the teams will play a single game first and a doubleheader the following day. The teams will play at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 15, then play two games beginning at noon Saturday, March 16.
Next Home Game: The Islanders begin a three-game SLC series against Northwestern State on Friday, March 22 at Chapman Field. The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at noon Friday followed by a single game beginning at noon Saturday, March 23.
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@IslandersSball) and Instagram (
islanderssball).
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