HOUSTON, Texas – The tying run made it to the plate in the ninth, but the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team came up just short of the rally Wednesday night at Rice, falling 5-3 at Rekling Park.
Junior
Garrett Gruell, who leads the Islanders (16-21) in home runs with eight, was searching for his ninth in the final plate appearance of the night with two outs and a runner on to tie the game up late, but a well-timed pitching change had the Owls (10-24) escape with the grounder to secure a 5-3 decision.
The Islanders were evened with Rice in hits at eight apiece, but the efficiency wasn't aligned as A&M-Corpus Christi left seven on base through the night. It wasn't without the effort of junior
Isaac Webb who topped the batting order for the Islanders and finished 3-for-4 at the plate including the ninth-inning base hit that got a runner on in a last attempt.
Webb entered the night leading the team and ranked #9 in the NCAA in total hits at 53, now adding three to the nationally ranked mark.
After Rice jumped on the board with three runs after the first, the Islanders had to buckle down and fought to get one back in the next frame. Junior
Chance Reisdorph made the most of a lead-off hit by pitch by stealing second and getting to third in the next at-bat. With just the one out, senior
Cole Modgling knocked one far enough to right to send Reisdorph home on the sacrifice fly.
Unfortunately, the Owls responded with a two-run double in the third that proved to be the ultimate blow in the final game difference.
The Islanders tried to fight back as Modgling was able to round home himself following a two-out single and eventually a trip to home plate as Webb drove him in on the infield single to make it a 5-2 game in the fourth.
The Owls were shut down in the final four innings as the Islanders' bullpen tried to set up the offense for some more momentum, and they were able to plate another in the eighth after the lead-off triple from pinch hitter junior
Drake Kerr got an opportunity. Reisdorph capitalized on it and sent Kerr home on the sacrifice fly to make it just a two-run game.
Though, the 5-3 score would hold up as Rice sent a reliever to the plate with two down in the top of the ninth and it proved worthy of a save as the Owls escaped the threat of a tie.
It was the first road midweek game that A&M-Corpus Christi has dropped this year, previously defeating UTRGV, Texas State, and Texas.
The Islanders will look to shake it off as they return home for the weekend to host HCU in a three-game conference series. The first game is set for Friday at 6 p.m. at Chapman Field.
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