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Islanders takes baseball series opener from UCA

A&M-CC blew a three-run lead, but won it on a walkoff hit by Enrique Sanchez Jr.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Story Headlines

- The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi baseball team got a ninth-inning walkoff single to beat Central Arkansas, 5-4, at Chapman Field on Friday.

- Steven Rivera-Chijin started the bottom of the ninth with a double to right center, stole third and scored on Enrique Sanchez Jr.'s single to end the game.

- The Islanders improved to 17-11 overall while the Bears fell to 12-14. Both teams are tied at 6-4 in Southland Conference play.

Key Islander Statistics

- The Islanders scored five runs on 12 hits with one error. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi scored three in the fifth, one in the eighth and added the winning run in the ninth.

- Central Arkansas scored all four runs in the top of the seventh. The Bears had 11 hits and committed one error.

- A&M-Corpus Christi turned a pair of double plays, getting itself out of the first and fifth innings.

- Sanchez Jr. drove in two, going 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored.

- Rivera-Chijin was 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a pair of runs scored.

- Itchy Burts was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk. He also stole a base.

- Joey Werner was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

- Luke Marbach was 1-for-3 on the day with a walk.

- Thomas Jeffries IV went 1-for-4 with an RBI. He also stole his sixth base of the season.

- Mike Williams went 1-for-4 with a run scored.

- Nick Anderson drove in a run and also had a sacrifice bunt.

- Dustin Lacaze started the game, going 6.1 innings. He allowed four runs on nine hits with six strikeouts.

- David Worrell allowed two hits in his 2.0 innings of work. He recorded a pair of strikeouts.

- Mason Hopkins got the win, striking out the final two batters in the top of the ninth. It was his second career collegiate victory.

Key Islander Innings

- Rivera-Chijin led off the fifth with a single to left and moved to second on a Burts bunt single. Sanchez Jr. doubled into the gap in left center driving in Rivera-Chijin for the game's first run. Werner came up with an RBI single to left to drive in Burts to make it 2-0. After a pop out, Anderson grounded out to short, allowing Sanchez Jr. to cross the plate for the Islanders' third run of the frame.

- A&M-Corpus Christi tied the game up, 4-4, in the eighth Williams scored on a Jeffries IV infield single to first. Williams reached earlier on a fielder's choice.

- Central Arkansas threatened to take the lead in the top of the ninth as a pair of walks put runners on first and second with one down. Freshman reliever Hopkins was called upon to keep the game tied at 4-4. But a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position for the Bears. Hopkins came back and got back-to-back called third strike calls to get the Islanders out of the jam, allowing the walk off in the bottom of the frame.

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Up Next

- The series concludes Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. at Chapman Field. The third game was originally scheduled for Sunday but moved due to weather concerns. Fans can purchase tickets HERE, watch live on the Islanders Digital Network and follow live statistics HERE.

Stay Social

- For more information on Islanders Baseball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersBSB), Instagram (@IslandersBSB) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Baseball).

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