HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team split the final day of the Bearkat Classic, falling just short 4-2 to Bryant before outlasting Sam Houston with the same score but on the winning side in a night cap Saturday to wrap up the Bearkat Classic.
The Islanders (2-3) blasted four home runs on the day, all courtesy of a different player, to come away with the split record on the final day of opening weekend. While the two weren't enough in game one against Bryant (1-3), the second pair that came in the latter game added to two runs that came from the base path to hand Sam Houston (3-1) its first loss of the weekend.
"I am proud of effort today and this entire tournament," said head coach
Kathleen Rodriguez. "I think we learend a great deal about oursevles and our team this weekend."
Game 1: Bryant 4, A&M-Corpus Christi 2
The Islanders could only produce in their first offensive outing of the day, with senior veterans
Paolina Baez and
Monee Montilla going back-to-back in homering their first at-bat for an early 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs would respond in the bottom frame, however, plating three in the first inning to quickly reverse the lead. They tacked on an insurance run in the third and although
Skylar Heger, who walked off Bryant yesterday, knocked a double in the fourth to get into scoring position, the Islanders couldn't answer as they fell 4-2.
Game 2: A&M-Corpus Christi 4, Sam Houston 2
The second game of the day started similarly to the first, with their first two runs coming off a pair of homers. This time,
Skylar Heger bombed one fair down the left field line to start things off in the second before
Crystal Davila blasted one over left center in the third for the 2-0 lead.
As
Malia Williams got to work in the circle keeping Sam Houston scoreless through three, the Islanders tacked on a third in the top of the fourth after
Zoey Stewart led off with a base hit before finding her way back to home plate after Baez sent one up the middle for another RBI.
The Bearkats finally got on the board in the fifth with a pair, making it a tight 3-2 game heading to the sixth. What seemed like trouble that inning for the Islanders' defense proved futile as they escaped a bases-loaded, no outs situation after forcing the double play at home and first before
Natalie Garcia laid out to glove the line drive in left field for the third out.
Baez then drew a lead-off walk in the seventh and eventually made the journey home after the Islanders loaded the bases for the insurance run. Williams then capped her complete game outing, catching two lacking in the bottom frame for her second win of the weekend.
Overall, Heger and Baez ended the weekend as team leads with four hits each, while the latter also drove in the team-high six RBIs with a home run and two doubles on the weekend. Stewart was the most efficient in her at-bats, however, batting a .429 with three hits and a run herself.
In the circle, Williams came out of the weekend with a 1.66 ERA in addition to earning the two wins. Through 12.2 total innings pitched, she had six batters faced down strike out.
On deck:
The Islanders will next head across state lines to New Mexico State's tournament next weekend in the Troy Cox Classic. They will open that stretch against nationally ranked Nebraska and then take on Northern Colorado, Montana, and the Aggies.
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