CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team put together an all-around game Saturday at Chapman Field in the rubber match with HCU and came away with the 5-3 win to clinch their first conference series of the season.
The Islanders (9-20, 3-6 SLC) got on the board early and escaped any HCU (11-17, 5-4 SLC) threat by additionally tacking on an insurance run in the sixth to end on top in the rubber match after the teams traded shutouts in yesterday's doubleheader.
It is the first conference series won by the Islanders this season. They have also now won the last two series against HCU after defeating the Huskies 2-1 last year in Houston.
Similar to game two, the Islanders jumped on HCU early to score four runs within the first two innings.
Mimi Thornton and
Crystal Davila both reached on a fielder's choice in the first, before advancing to second and third off a wild pitch. In scoring position,
Dafne Mercado dropped a hit over the second baseman to score both the runners on base for the 2-0 lead.
HCU managed to get one back in the second, before
Karisa Lopez led off the bottom frame with the double to deep right. Back-to-back infield singles from
CJ Castilla and
Erynne Castillo scored Lopez before
Paolina Baez laid down the bunt single to load the bases. Thornton then sent one deep enough on the sac fly to score Castilla from third as the Islanders upped their lead to 4-1.
The next two innings were quiet on both sides until HCU broke through in the fifth with a pair of runs to squeeze within a one-run game. They threatened again in the sixth before
Zoe Hardy took over in the circle and escaped a bases-loaded situation to set up the Islanders' offense again.
A&M-Corpus Christi took that momentum into the bottom of the sixth to tack on a cushion-run after Lopez once again led off with a hit, this time a single to right. A stolen base got her into scoring position before Castillo sent her to third on the sac bunt. Baez, adding to her team-leading RBI count, then did what she does best and drove Lopez in off the single through the right.
Needing three outs, Hardy completed the save opportunity and retired each batter for the three-up, three-down final inning. Her save was set up by the 3.2 innings thrown by
Kendra Winfrey who came away with the win in the circle.
Baez and Lopez each finished 2-for-3 at the plate today while the former recorded her 20
th RBI of the year. She leads the team in RBIs and is additionally the only Islander to even record 10+.
On deck:
The Islanders will compete in their nonconference finale with a midweek at UTSA on Tuesday at 4 p.m. before moving forward the rest of the way with the conference slate next weekend at Southeastern.
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