Islanders Find Their ‘Identity As A Team’ To Win Series

Junior Quinn De Avila manages to get to first base safely after an error made by Southeastern.

The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi softball program won their fourth conference series this weekend against Southeastern at Chapman Field.The Islanders split the doubleheader on Friday and put up a fight to win the series’ last game with a walk-off. 

“There were a few times where we did make a few mental mistakes and errors,” junior shortstop Pal Egan said. “We’re really starting to find our identity as a team and I really think we’re starting to show everybody who TAMU-CC is.”

In game one, TAMU-CC scored one run in the bottom of the fifth inning, and brought in six runs in the sixth inning to make the final score 7-0. Senior pitcher Grace Gilbert gave up no runs  and only had three batters hit off her pitches while on the mound.

Southeastern found their footing in game two, taking  control in the fourth inning and securing  a 6-2 win over the Islanders. Head Coach Kathleen Rodriguez addressed the Islanders’ continuous hard work  and stated that she trusted her team to bounce back in game three. 

“It’s taking one pitch at a time, [and] one game at a time,” Rodriguez said. “I think we just have to continue to be as healthy as we can and just put our head down and just take care of our work.” 

The Islanders led 6-3 going into the fourth inning in the third game with Egan’s grand slam. However, the Lady Lions fought back,  tying the game  6-6. The score was tied for the next two innings as both teams attempted to get a run in. The Islanders pulled away in the seventh inning, as two batters were left on base when first-year Jaquelin Garza slid head-first into home to secure the series with a 7-6 victory. 

 Junior Madison Garza said that her team bounced back in the third game by eliminating the errors made in the second game. “I think throughout the whole series, our team had a lot of fight,” Garza said. “To win the series just shows a lot of growth for our team.” 

The Islanders will be traveling to San Antonio for their last conference series with UIW on May 6-7, before heading to their Southland Conference Tournament in Hammond, Louisiana on May 10.