LAFAYETTE, La. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team split its Sunday slate at Lamson Park, opening the day with a gritty 2-1 win over Prairie View A&M before falling to Louisiana 23-0 to wrap up the tournament weekend.
Across both contests, the Islanders were fueled by a steady presence at the plate from
Erynne Castillo, who collected three hits on the day, while
Karisa Lopez drove in two runs, highlighted by a go-ahead triple in the opener.
In the circle,
Kendra Winfrey logged 3.2 innings of relief across the two games, earning the win in game one and striking out four overall. It marks her second win of the year.
Game 1: A&M-Corpus Christi 2, Prairie View A&M 1
In the morning matchup against Prairie View, the Islanders showed poise after surrendering a first-inning run. Prairie View capitalized on a two-out double in the bottom of the first to grab a 1-0 edge, but A&M-Corpus Christi answered immediately in the second.
Mimi Thornton drew a leadoff walk and later came around to score, knotting the game at 1-1 after aggressive base running forced the Panthers into a miscue.
The Islanders threatened again in the fourth when Thornton singled and moved into scoring position, but Prairie View escaped the inning. The breakthrough came in the sixth as
Skylar Heger worked a two-out walk and
Natalie Garcia entered as a pinch runner, promptly swiping second. Lopez then delivered the decisive swing, ripping a triple to right-center to plate Garcia and give the Islanders a 2-1 lead.
From there, the pitching staff took over.
Mackenzie Durr allowed just two hits and one run over four innings, striking out four to keep the Islanders within reach. Winfrey closed the door with three scoreless frames, working around a pair of walks in the seventh. With the tying run aboard, she induced a strikeout and a game-ending swing-and-miss to secure the 2-1 victory.
A&M-Corpus Christi tallied six hits in the win, with Lopez, Thornton, Heger,
Kayla Santiago and
Taylor Reyes each contributing.
Game 2: Louisiana 23, A&M-Corpus Christi 0
In the afternoon contest against Louisiana, the Islanders ran into an early surge from the Ragin' Cajuns, who pushed across 10 runs in the first inning and never looked back. Castillo and
Angelina Hernandez each recorded two hits as A&M-Corpus Christi finished with six, but Louisiana capitalized on timely extra-base hits to take control early.
The Islanders continued to compete at the plate, putting runners on in multiple innings, including a bases-loaded threat in the third, but were unable to break through before the game concluded after five innings.
On the day, Castillo led the Islanders with three hits, Lopez drove in two runs, and Winfrey picked up her second win of the season. Thornton scored once and reached base twice, while Garcia added a stolen base and the game-winning run in the opener.
On deck:
Texan Classic
Feb. 20-22
Stephenville, Texas
#ShakasUp
