LAFAYETTE, La. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team edged Prairie View 3-2 on Saturday morning at Lamson Park, earning a hard-fought victory in the third contest of a five-game tournament.
The Islanders spread their offense across three innings while getting contributions throughout the lineup.
Skylar Heger delivered a huge swing with a game-tying home run,
Karisa Lopez drove in the opening run, and
Taylor Reyes manufactured the eventual game-winner on the bases.
In the circle,
Josie Whitehead finished the job with three scoreless innings and six strikeouts to secure the win.
Prairie View threatened immediately in the first, moving a runner to third after a single, stolen base and wild pitch, but A&M-Corpus Christi escaped the early pressure. The Islanders then capitalized in the bottom half when
Jada Zepeda reached on a bunt error and advanced into scoring position. Lopez followed with a single into left, bringing Zepeda home for a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers answered in the second inning, stringing together two singles and an RBI knock to tie the game at 1-1. The Islanders had a chance to respond in the bottom half after
Kayla Santiago singled, but Prairie View turned a double play to keep the score even.
Prairie View moved ahead in the fourth when a steal and throwing error allowed a run to score, giving the Panthers a 2-1 advantage. The lead lasted only moments. Leading off the bottom of the inning, Heger launched a drive to right-center field that cleared the fence, energizing the Islanders dugout and tying the game at 2-2.
A&M-Corpus Christi seized control in the fifth through hustle. Reyes singled, stole third and sprinted home on a throwing error by the catcher to put the Islanders back in front 3-2. The defense and pitching then took over.
Whitehead entered in the fifth inning and dominated in relief, striking out six batters while allowing just three hits over the final three frames. Prairie View put the tying run on base in the seventh, but Whitehead finished the game with consecutive strikeouts, stranding the threat and locking down the victory.
Heger finished with the home run and two walks, Lopez added an RBI single, Santiago collected two hits and Reyes scored the decisive run, while Whitehead earned the win in the circle.
The Islanders improve to 32-11 all-time over the Panthers and have won the last five meetings.
On Deck:
Sunday, Feb. 15
10:30 a.m. –A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Prairie View
Live Stats
1:00 p.m. –A&M-Corpus Christi at Louisiana
Live Stats
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