Stephen F. Austin
Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Islanders Clinch Series With 6-3 Win
5/17/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 17, 2013
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders rode the strength of a four-run fifth inning and a seven-inning outing from Trevor Belicek to a 6-3 win over Stephen F. Austin, clinching the series on Friday night at Jaycees Field.
The Islanders (32-21, 17-9 SLC) pounded off 11 hits off of SFA pitching and clinched the No. 2 overall seed in the Southland Conference Tournament with the win. Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks could still fall between the fourth and sixth seeds in the tournament, pending Saturday's results.
Belicek cruised through the first six innings of the night, allowing just one hit before the `Jacks struck for a pair of runs on three hits in the seventh. Still, the Islander lefty did enough to up his record to 9-1 on the season, while stopper Jacob Dorris had a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless ninth for his league-leading 13th save.
SFA starter Kyle Cross took the loss, falling to 5-6 on the year after allowing five runs in five innings; however, the three-headed bullpen combination of Garrett Powell, Cody Priest and Cameron Gann allowed just one unearned run in four one-hit innings of work.
The Lumberjack offense had just six hits on the night, five coming in the final three innings and led by Jordon Lenaburg's third home run of the year to lead off the seventh. Hunter Dozier finished 1-for-3 with a single and a sacrifice fly to drive in his 50th RBI of the year and extend his reached-base streak to 44 consecutive games, and Zach Marberry had an RBI single in three at-bats as well, also gunning down a pair of would-be base stealers from behind the plate.
Both pitchers put up four consecutive zeros on the board, getting help from a double-play ball apiece in the third inning. Still, the Islanders had four hits in the first four frames, but were not able to cash in until the top of the fifth. One-out singles by Brandon Tierney and Brad Lamberti were followed by a walk to load the bases, setting up a two-run double from Zach Taylor to left field. Cody Stephens followed with a two-run single up the middle, giving a 4-0 lead.
One inning later the Islanders added another on a bouncing single from Stafford Brantley off of reliever Garrett Powell after TAMUCC chased Cross from the hill with a pair of singles to open the inning by Brad Porras and Jordan Lee. One inning later they pushed across another run, this one unearned, on a bases-loaded walk to Tierney.
SFA finally found some offense in its half of the seventh when Lenaburg pinch hit to open the inning and slammed a 1-1 pitch to left field for a solo homer. Two batters later Jackson Hood shot a double down the left-field line and came home to score on a sharp single by Marberry to cut the lead to 6-2.
The `Jacks threatened to come all the way back in the eighth against Islander reliever O'Shea Dunes, getting a leadoff walk from Matthew Dickey and a single from Zach Benson to open up the inning. But Dunes minimized the damange, allowing just a single run on a deep sacrifice fly by Dozier to the warning track in right-center field that scored Dickey. He allowed a single two batters later to Max Lamantia to bring up the tying run, but struck out Gevon Jackson looking at a slider to keep the Islanders ahead 6-3 after eight frames.
SFA managed one base runner in the ninth against Dorris, but could not move him along as the Islander closer picked up the save.
The `Jacks will look to salvage the series in Saturday's regular-season finale at 1:00 p.m. Justin Choate will get the start against TAMUCC righty Matt Danton. SFA will also honor its 11-member senior class in a ceremony before the game's first pitch.
-SFA-
