Despite being on the road, Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi was filled with maroon and white on Tuesday, April 12, as the Aggies collected a 5-3 victory against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Islanders came out guns-blazing, despite being underdogs, to take an early 3-0 lead: one coming from an A&M error with the bases loaded in the first, followed by a two-run shot by way of sophomore Josh Caraway in the third.
Things picked up for the Aggies in the fifth, beginning with a single from sophomore Jack Moss to left, driving in the first run for A&M. Little mistakes cost the Islanders their lead, as an overthrown ball to third allowed graduate Kole Kaler to reach home, followed by Moss scoring after another overthrown ball just two plays later.
Junior righty Joseph Menefee took over on the rubber in the fifth for A&M. After struggling in his last outing against Kentucky, Menefee was lights-out over his three innings pitched against the Islanders. During his tenure, Menefee faced nine total batters and struck out five of them in a huge performance for the Aggies.
“One of the better days with command for me,” Menefee said. “[Associate head coach Nate] Yeskie was calling the game back there, and with his mastermind, you just trust it and try to execute to the best of your ability.”
Following a solo shot from sophomore Ryan Targac in the top of the sixth, a turning point for the game came in the bottom of the inning, as the Aggies were able to make a huge play at the plate to keep the 4-3 advantage. With one on and two outs, Islander junior Justin Taylor singled deep to left in what would be the only hit Menefee allowed on the night. With a runner on second trying to make a stretch for home plate, A&M graduate Dylan Rock was able to fire a laser from left field to beat the runner at the plate. This display of athleticism ended the sixth and kept the Aggies on top as they approached the seventh-inning stretch.
The Aggies scored one more in the seventh as Rock reached the plate off a sacrifice fly, and A&M pitchers would only allow two singles alongside 5 Ks in the final three innings of play to secure the 5-3 victory, the second in a row for A&M.
Despite the loss, Corpus Christi had a strong all-around performance at the plate, as several different Islanders were all able to gather hits. Corpus Christi head coach Scott Malone said his team’s errors were a major factor in the loss.
“We’re a good team,” Malone said. “I’m not surprised it’s 5-3 tonight. We need to clean up the things we can control and turn it around this weekend.”
The Aggies have a challenging slate ahead of them, as their next seven matchups are all against ranked opponents. A&M will look to add another top-10 victory to its resume on Thursday, April 14, as the Aggies head to Athens for the first of three games against No. 10 Georgia.
