NEW ORLEANS – Chance Reisdorph had a day he'll tell his grandkids about, and the rest of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team had a pretty good day as well.
Reisdorph hit a pair of three-run home runs as part of 3-for-5 day and scored four runs as the Islanders secured a series victory over New Orleans on Saturday with a 11-6 win in Game 2 of their three-game series at Maestri Field.
"It felt good to run into a couple barrels," said Reisdorph, who set a career high with six RBIs and tied a career high with his four runs scored. "I just focused on getting my best swing off and being on time. My swing has been off for a couple weeks, so I have been working hard with my coaches to find it again. Safe to say I did."
The Islanders (21-26 overall, 9-8 in the Southland Conference) jumped out early, as Reisdorph found himself in the middle of the scoring for the first time with a leadoff single to left field in the top of the second inning. He eventually made his way around to third, then scampered home on
Christian Smith-Johnson's RBI groundout.
Reisdorph was just getting started.
In the top of the fourth,
Garrett Gruell and
Josh Blount both singled to start the inning. Then, on a 1-2 pitch, Reisdorph obliterated a fastball right in his wheelhouse, sending it nearly to the top of the New Orleans version of the berm in left field. It was just the second home run of the season for the Islanders catcher, and his first since sending one to the homefield berm in left on March 10 against UTSA.
"Chance was great," TAMU-CC coach
Scott Malone said. "Those two swings changed the entire direction of the game. He works his tail off every day to get better. Good things happen for hard workers."
New Orleans (23-19, 8-6) scored its first run of the series in the bottom of the fourth on a leadoff triple and a double, but the Islanders answered back with a pair of unearned runs in the sixth. Blount led off with a walk, Reisdorph reached on an error, then a throwing error on a fielder's choice off the bat of
Cole Modgling scored Blount. A walk to Smith-Johnson loaded the bases, then
Mason Persons took the first pitch he saw off his arm for an RBI the hard way.
New Orleans, which had been averaging eight runs a game and had scored in double figures 16 times – including a high of 26 just two weeks ago – began to find its groove in the sixth inning. After the big hits in the fourth inning got their scoring started, the Privateers got a single, another triple and a groundout to score two more and cut the lead in half at 6-3.
But Reisdorph was still lurking, and he struck again in the top of the seventh.
Sebastian Trinidad led off with a double that banged off the wall in left, followed by Gruell with a walk. A Blount sacrifice moved both runners up a base, but it wasn't necessary as Reisdorph turned on a pitch nearly identical to his first home run and smoked it over the wall in left field.
It was the first multi-home run game of his career, and his six RBIs surpassed his previous high of three accomplished six times previously, most recently against Northwestern on March 19.
With a 9-3 lead, the Islanders seemed to be a good position. But as has been the case nearly for duration of the all-time series between the teams, the game tightened up quickly. The two teams had played 27 times prior to Saturday, and 19 of those games were decided by one or two runs, including the series opener on Friday (a 2-0 TAMU-CC win).
So it came as no real surprise that the Privateers mounted a manic comeback. New Orleans put together three hits in the bottom of the seventh and were aided by three hit-batters and a wild pitch. TAMU-CC went through three pitchers in the inning as New Orleans scored three times to cut the lead to 9-6.
But the Islanders got a run back in the eighth when Trinidad doubled for the second consecutive time with two outs, went to third on a wild pitch and came home on Blount's opposite-field single to left. Persons drove in the 11th and final run for the Islanders in the ninth with a sharp single up the middle that drove in Smith-Johnson.
Maddox Thornton did the rest.
After coming in to put out the flames in the seventh inning, the Islanders closer needed just 25 pitches to collect the final seven outs of the game and earn his sixth save of the year.
"The real highlight is our pitching staff," Reisdorph said. "New Orleans is a very offensive team, and our pitching staff has been amazing. I have absolute confidence in whoever we have on the mound. Overall, we are finding our groove as a team. It is a blast out there."
Cam Soliz got the win after coming on in the fourth inning in relief of starter
Jack Hill. Soliz went three innings, giving up two runs on just two hits.
Hill was making his first conference start and was solid, giving up just one run on five hits with four strikeouts in three innings.
"The bookends were the story," Malone said of his starter and closer. "
Jack Hill pitched with tempo and strikes. He put up zeroes and gave the hitters a chance to get the lead. Maddox was outstanding. He just stole all the momentum from New Orleans today. They were ready for a fight to the finish, and Maddox shut them down."
The Islanders finished with 12 hits, as Trinidad finished 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and Blount was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Issac Webb ran his hit streak to 15 games with a 1-for-6 day, while Gruell, Modgling,
Bryce Logan all added hits.
The Islanders are now just a half-game behind the Privateers for fourth in the SLC standings and just one game behind UIW for third (UIW played a late game Saturday). Following Sunday's series finale with New Orleans, the Islanders have just two conference series remaining, both against the bottom two teams in the conference (McNeese and Southeastern).
TAMUCC (21-26, 9-8 SLC)
Friday, April 26 – vs. New Orleans, W (2-0)
Saturday, April 27 – vs. New Orleans, W (11-6)
Sunday, April 28 – vs. New Orleans (23-19, 8-6), 1 p.m., Maestri Field, New Orleans
On Deck: After the series in New Orleans, the Islanders will return home on Friday, May 3 to begin a three-game conference series with McNeese at Chapman Field. The teams will play at 6 p.m. Friday, May 3, at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4 and at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 5.
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