(5-10-08)

UCA CLAWS PAST ISLANDERS FOR 9-8 WIN

In a game that saw the lead change on five occasions, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders allowed two runs in the top of the eighth inning to drop a 9-8 decision to Central Arkansas on Saturday to even the Southland Conference series at one.

The series finale is set for a noon start with A&M-Corpus Christi honoring its 10 seniors prior to the start of the game.

The teams combined for 17 runs on 29 hits with three home runs at Chapman Field as the wind blew to right. Each team had a player with four hits as Stephen Flora was 4-for-5 for the Islanders as he posted his second-straight game with four hits and scored three runs. Josh Huffman was 4-of-6 with three RBIs and a home run.

With the loss, the Islanders drop to 14-12 in the SLC and are 22-28. With the help of Stephen F. Austin’s 13-5 loss to UT Arlington on Saturday, the Islanders can clinch their first trip to the conference tournament with a win on Sunday or a UT Arlington win over SFA.

UCA is now 24-25 overall and 11-15 in the SLC.

Leading 8-7 entering the top of the eighth, A&M-Corpus Christi appeared on its way to a 2-0 lead in the series as Brett Gibson (3-2) went to the mound. Gibson, who leads the Islanders with five saves, had a rare rough outing allowing a pair of runs in the eighth. Payton Seelinger began the inning with a single and with one out scored on the third home run of the day by a UCA batter as Huffman homered to right to give the Bears the lead for good.

“I told Gibson early in the game that we were going to give him a chance to go for an extended save and get the final six or seven outs,” said Islander coach Scott Malone. “It wasn’t his day. It is disappointing that he struggle, but I would still give him the ball tomorrow in the same situation.”

The Islanders would get runners on base in the eighth and ninth innings but could not get the tying run across off Matt Humphrey. Humphrey pitched the final 4-1/3 innings for UCA to get the win. He scattered three hits and walked while fanning four to move to 3-2 on the season.

“A game like this one is a tough pill to swallow,” said Malone. “We kept thinking in the final two innings some how, some way we would get some runs. It can be hard to accept when you’ve been playing well that it is someone else’s day.”

UCA struck first with two runs in the first. With one out, Graham Martin and Huffman hit back-to-back singles off Islander starter Roy Ferdin. Martin crossed home on a sacrifice fly by Chris Houk, while Huffman scored on a single by Eric Tennyson.

After Flora cut the Islander deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the first when he doubled and scored on a single by Chase Wheaton, the Islanders took the lead in the third with a pair of runs. Back-to-back single by Jacob Perales began the inning with Chase Williams drawing a walk to load the bases. Perales tied the game at two when he scored on a sacrifice fly by Wheaton, while Flora came home on a sacrifice fly by Trey Hernandez.

UCA scored three times in the fourth and once in the fifth to take a 6-3 lead. Jonathan Yerby began the scoring in the fourth with a two-run home run off Ferdin, while Huffman drove in Tye Throneberry. Yerby added a solo home run in the fifth off Matt Hudec.

Ferdin gave up five runs on seven hits in 3-2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four.

“Roy never settled in on the mound today,” said Malone. “He threw to many pitches up in the zone. We like to think we have a pretty good plan of how to pitch at Chapman Field when the wind is blowing out to right like we did today. We didn’t do a good job of executing it today. We let them drive too many balls to the right side of the field.”

A&M-Corpus Christi responded with five runs in the bottom of the fifth to lead 8-6. Flora led off the inning with a single and scored from first on a double by Williams. Wheaton tied the game at six with his second two-run home run in as many days off Bear starter Bobby Pritchett with no outs in the inning. After Bryan Gerondale reached on a throwing error, Hernandez hit his first triple as an Islander to drive in Gerondale. A sacrifice fly by Ernie Olivarez drove in Hernandez.

“Flora is playing as good as anybody in the league right now,” said Malone. “We can’t ask for much more than he is giving us. Chase Williams and Chase Wheaton are also producing well right now.”

Pritchett allowed eight runs with seven earned on nine hits in 4-2/3 innings. He struck out five batters and walked three.

Brian Anderson allowed a single run in the seventh to enable UCA to pull within a run as Kevin Rawls doubled and scored on a single by Yerby. Yerby finished with four RBI. Anderson permitted two hits in 2-1/3 innings of work before leaving for Gibson in the top of the eighth. Gibson allowed two runs on three hits in 2/3 of an inning.

The Islanders would get two runners into scoring position the rest of the game. In the sixth, Williams walked stole second but was thrown out for the first out of the inning trying to swipe third. He was one of three Islanders caught stealing. In the eighth, Flora picked up his second double of the game with one out and went to third on fly out to center by Williams. Wheaton pasted a shot to third, but Yerby fielded the ball to end the inning.

Aaron Ames
Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations
Texas A&M Corpus Christi