CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team slugged its way to victory in its series-opening game against Incarnate Word on Friday evening, getting its bats going to pick up the win by a final score of 10-6.
The victory helped the Islanders (15-26, 7-15 SLC) pick up their second win in the opening contest of a conference series this season, with the only other one coming against Stephen F. Austin at the beginning of the month in what would go on to be a three-game sweep. Their offensive outburst against the Cardinals (16-26, 2-20) was also the seventh time that they have reached double-digit runs in a game this season and the second time in their last three games after hanging 13 on McNeese last Saturday.
After falling into a 1-0 hole in the top of the first, the Islanders started their day at the plate with a bang in the bottom half of the opening frame, jumping out to their first lead on one big swing by junior
Jackson Smith. After an earlier base hit by sophomore
Jarrett Flaggert, Smith stepped up and smoked a 2-0 pitch from UIW starter Josh Salinas, sending it well over the wall in right field for a two-run home run. This continued the first baseman's recent power surge, marking his fifth longball in the last five games dating back to April 13.
A run by the Cardinals in the top of the fourth would tie the game up at two apiece, but A&M-Corpus Christi would respond with its biggest stretch of the day, scoring six unanswered to not only get its lead back but take firm control of the game. The first two of these were put on the board in the bottom of the fourth on another two-run home run, this one coming off the bat of senior
Isaac Webb. With Smith on first base after a one-out walk, Webb got the green light in a 3-1 count and took full advantage, crushing Salinas' offering off the batter's eye in dead center for his second homer of the year and first since his leadoff bomb against Houston-Victoria on February 26.
This was followed up by a full-on assault just one inning later, with the Islanders putting up four runs on five hits to continue putting the pressure on the visitors. The rally would kick off almost immediately, getting going on back-to-back doubles from junior
Karson Krowka and senior
Chance Reisdorph to lead off the frame. Senior
Drake Kerr drove in pinch runner
Chad Pantuso with a knock of his own once the lineup turned back over, and one batter later, Flaggert sent a double into the left field corner to keep the line moving once again. Finally, Smith tagged the team's fourth double of the inning, finding the right-center gap to plate Flaggert and make it a six-run lead.
A home run in the sixth by UIW would stop the bleeding temporarily, but the Islanders quickly got the momentum back on their side in the same inning, scoring two more on a wild pitch and another two-bagger by senior
Cade Sanchez to make it double digits on the day. This would turn out to be more than enough of a cushion to ride the rest of the way, as a three-run homer in the seventh would be the only damage they would allow from that point through the end of the night.
When things were all said and done, the Islanders finished the game with seven total extra-base hits, tagging two home runs and a season-high five doubles. This was the first game that the team hit that many doubles in over two years, with the last instance coming when they recorded six against Abilene Christian on April 2, 2023. Interestingly, of the seven extra-base hits on Friday, Smith was the only one to record multiple, with the others coming from Flaggert, Sanchez, Webb, Krowka and Reisdorph.
The Islanders will now try to clinch the series victory in the second game on Saturday, looking to keep things rolling for first pitch at 6 p.m. CT.
#ShakasUp
