MIAMI, Fla. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team showed flashes of offensive momentum and created key chances in both games but was unable to close gaps Friday, falling to Lehigh 9-5 and host FIU 10-2 on day two of the FIU Invitational.
Across the two games, the Islanders (0-3) collected 15 hits, scored in five different innings, and twice erased early deficits, highlighted by a go-ahead fifth inning against Lehigh and a game-tying rally against FIU. A&M-Corpus Christi consistently produced baserunners but big innings by the opposition swung the decisions the other way.
Several Islanders produced steady offense across the doubleheader.
Mimi Thornton led the lineup, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and three walks, reaching base in seven of eight plate appearances.
Skylar Heger recorded a pair of hits with two RBIs and a run scored, while
Taylor Reyes added two hits and an RBI, including a double that helped spark a rally in game one of the day.
Zoey Stewart and
Jada Zepeda also notched multi-day days with some runs and
Karisa Lopez provided the biggest swing of the afternoon with a solo home run against FIU.
"The ladies are working hard and their work ethic has remained unchanged," said head coach Mark Montgomery. "They do, however, need to believe that they deserve to win. They have to find a way to push through adversity as a team. If we can figure that part out, we'll be fine."
Game 1 – Lehigh 9, A&M-Corpus Christi 5
Lehigh scored early and used a four-run sixth and three-run seventh to pull away, but the Islanders mounted a midgame rally and briefly took the lead behind timely hitting in the fifth. A&M-Corpus Christi finished with nine hits and led 4-2 before the late surge by Lehigh.
Lehigh struck first in the opening inning on an RBI double, but the Islanders answered immediately. After a leadoff walk and aggressive baserunning pressure, Thornton lined a single up the middle to bring home the tying run and even the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the first.
The Mountain Hawks regained a 2-1 edge in the second, but Islanders starter
Mackenzie Durr settled in, retiring hitters and keeping the deficit within reach through four innings while the defense worked out of traffic.
The breakthrough came in the fifth. Zepeda reached and swiped second to spark the inning, and an error and wild pitch put runners in scoring position.
Erynne Castillo drove in the equalizing run, Heger followed with an RBI single to give the Islanders their first lead at 3-2, and Reyes added another run-scoring hit to stretch the advantage to 4-2.
Lehigh answered in the sixth, stringing together extra-base hits and singles to score four runs and regain a 6-4 lead. A&M-Corpus Christi trimmed the margin to one in the bottom half when
CJ Castilla scored on a sequence that included a base hit from Zepeda, making it 6-5 and keeping the pressure on.
In the seventh, Lehigh plated three insurance runs while A&M-Corpus Christi went quietly in the bottom half, leaving the final at 9-5.
Islanders leaders – Game 1:
Thornton: 3-for-4, RBI
Reyes: 2-for-3, double, RBI
Zepeda: 2-for-2, run scored, stolen base
Heger: 1-for-4, RBI, run scored
Castillo: RBI, run scored
Game 2 – FIU 10, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2
In the afternoon matchup, the Islanders again showed early fight, tying the game in the third inning before FIU broke it open with an eight-run frame. A&M-Corpus Christi recorded six hits but left multiple runners aboard in scoring position as chances to keep pace slipped away.
FIU opened with an inside-the-park home run in the first, but the Islanders responded in the third as
Zoey Stewart singled and came around to score when Heger lined an RBI single up the middle, knotting the game at 1-1.
The Islanders had another opportunity in the second when
Kayla Santiago doubled to put runners in scoring position, but a groundout ended the threat and kept the deficit at one.
FIU's decisive stretch came in the bottom of the third, when a series of singles, a two-run hit, and a grand slam produced eight runs and turned a tie game into a 9-1 margin.
A&M-Corpus Christi answered in the fourth as
Karisa Lopez launched a solo home run to center, cutting the lead to 9-2 and briefly halting the hosts' momentum. The Islanders continued to battle for baserunners, drawing walks and putting two aboard in the fifth, but a popup ended the final threat.
FIU added one more run in the fourth inning, and the Islanders were unable to mount another rally in the shortened contest.
Islanders leaders – Game 2:
Stewart: 2-for-3, run
Lopez: home run, RBI
Heger: 1-for-2, RBI
Santiago: double
Thornton: 1-for-1, two walks
On Deck:
Saturday, Feb. 7
8 a.m. CT – A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Stony Brook
Live Stats
10:30 a.m. CT – A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Louisville
Live Stats
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