CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team dropped the opener of its three-game conference series this weekend at Chapman Field, falling to Southeastern 12-2 despite a late push that briefly cut into the deficit.
The Islanders capitalized on opportunities in the middle innings and showed resilience at the plate, but a pair of big innings by the visitors proved to be the difference in Friday's game one.
Southeastern broke through first after a scoreless opening three innings. In the fourth, a pair of singles and a wild pitch set up a two-run single up the middle, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. The Lady Lions tacked on another in the fifth for three on the board.
The Islanders answered in the bottom frame.
Kayla Santiago led off with a single to left before
Eva Gallegos drew a walk which put two aboard before a fielder's choice moved the runners into scoring position. With two outs,
Taylor Reyes singled through the left side and both baserunners headed home to bring the game to 3-2.
The close game was short-lived, as Southeastern powered four runs in the sixth and added insurance in the seventh with an additional five runs, putting the game out of reach despite A&M-Corpus Christi's earlier rally.
For the Islanders, Reyes led the way offensively with 2-RBI single, delivering the pivotal fifth-inning knock. Santiago added a hit and scored a run, while Zepeda contributed with a walk and a stolen base.
Saturday, March 28
12 p.m. – Game Two
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2 p.m. – Game Three (roughly 30 minutes after completion of game two)
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