HOUSTON, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team split a Friday doubleheader against Houston Christian, riding a strong pitching performance to take the opener before falling in the nightcap at Husky Field.
With the split, the Islanders (9-22, 3-5 SLC) will look to secure the series in Saturday's finale against the Huskies (5-22, 2-6 SLC), scheduled for 12 p.m.
In game one of the series, the Islanders used timely hitting and a dominant outing in the circle to claim a 3-1 victory, but HCU responded in game two, capitalizing on an early swing and a late surge to hand A&M-Corpus Christi a 6-1 loss to set the rubber match.
A&M-Corpus Christi set the tone early in the opener. After putting two on in the first, the Islanders broke through in the second inning as
Eva Gallegos sparked the rally with a single and later came around to score. With the bases loaded,
Jada Zepeda delivered the big swing, driving a two-run single up the middle to give the Islanders a 2-0 advantage.
The Islanders added insurance in the third when Gallegos again came through, lacing a double down the left field line to plate
Kayla Santiago and extend the lead to 3-0. That was more than enough support for
Kendra Winfrey, who turned in another solid outing in the circle. The right-hander scattered three hits across seven innings, allowing just one unearned run while striking out eight to secure the complete-game victory.
The Huskies threatened late in the opener, pushing across a run in the sixth and bringing the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but Winfrey closed the door with back-to-back strikeouts to seal the win.
Game two shifted quickly in favor of the Huskies. A three-run home run in the first inning put the Islanders in an early deficit, and A&M-Corpus Christi was unable to fully recover. The Islanders answered with a run in the second, manufacturing a score on a wild pitch after putting together a pair of hits, but opportunities were limited the rest of the way.
Across the doubleheader, Gallegos led the Islanders offensively, going 3-for-6 including a double, and drove in a run while Zepeda recorded a pair of hits and two RBIs.
Erynne Castillo paced the game two effort with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate, accounting for half of the team's hits in the nightcap.
Saturday, March 21
12 p.m. – A&M-Corpus Christi (8-21, 2-4 SLC) at HCU (4-21, 1-5 SLC) (Game 3)
Stats
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