CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – On a celebratory senior day with the series already secured, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team completed the sweep of Northwestern State with a 7-2 victory Saturday at Chapman Field, using a decisive fourth inning to close out its final home weekend of the season.
The Islanders (14-34, 8-16 SLC) broke open a scoreless game with seven runs in the fourth and leaned on pitching from
Kendra Winfrey and
Holly Ayala to secure the win before a postgame Senior Day celebration to honor the six seniors.
Northwestern State (23-25, 12-12 SLC) threatened early, putting a runner in scoring position in the first, but Winfrey worked out of trouble with a double play. A&M-Corpus Christi answered in the bottom half when
Zoey Stewart singled and advanced to third, though the Islanders were unable to capitalize.
Both teams traded quiet innings until the fourth. The Demons struck first in the top half, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI single after a passed ball moved them into scoring position for the unearned run.
The Islanders responded emphatically in the bottom of the inning.
Mimi Thornton opened the frame with a single before
CJ Castilla entered as a pinch runner.
Kayla Santiago followed with a double to put runners on second and third, and
Erynne Castillo drew a walk to load the bases.
Karisa Lopez delivered the breakthrough, driving a double over the left fielder's head to score three runs and give the Islanders a 3-1 lead. From there, A&M-Corpus Christi capitalized on control issues, drawing consecutive walks from
Jada Zepeda and Castilla to force in runs and extend the lead. Later in the inning, after an umpire review, it was confirmed that
Skylar Heger added a two-RBI fielder's choice to cap the seven-run outburst and make it 7-1.
Northwestern State answered with a run in the fifth to trim the deficit to 7-2, but the Islanders' pitching staff shut the door the rest of the way.
Winfrey (9-11) earned the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits over four innings while working around traffic. Ayala picked up her first save of the season, tossing three innings of one-hit relief to finish the game.
Offensively, Lopez led the Islanders with a 1-for-2 day and three RBIs, all coming on her pivotal fourth-inning double. Santiago went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored, while Zepeda added a hit, an RBI and a run. Stewart reached base twice and scored once at the top of the lineup.
With the win, A&M-Corpus Christi secured the series sweep to close its final home weekend, celebrating its seniors following the game. It also helped give the Islanders a better chance at securing a spot in the SLC Tournament entering the final weekend of the regular season at SFA next Friday and Saturday.
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