Demons can’t hold early lead, fall to Islanders, 5-4

NATCHITOCHES – The worst thing for both Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s and Northwestern State’s baseball teams this weekend has been to take a four-run lead.

One day after rallying from an early deficit to defeat the Islanders, the Demons saw their early lead evaporate as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi rallied for a 5-4 Southland Conference win at Brown-Stroud Field on Saturday afternoon.

“Once again, our guys competed hard, fought their tails off,” first-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We did some good things, and we did some things we wish we could have back. We did an unbelievable job the first couple of innings of sticking with the game plan and getting to what was ultimately a really good starter. Our inability after the second inning to apply pressure – we had five of our six hits in the first two innings – hurt. Our inability to extend the lead and stay in the middle of the field – I wish we could have those at-bats back.”

Northwestern State (11-21, 4-4) looked poised to grab its fourth straight conference win in the second inning when Daniel Burroway began an extra-base hit barrage with a leadoff home run off right-hander Riley Hunsaker (4-2).

Colin Rains, Reese Lipoma and Balin Valentine followed with three RBI doubles in a five-batter span to put early pressure on the Islanders.

Much like the Demons did in the series opener, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (15-20, 3-5) responded quickly.

Sebastian Trinidad delivered a two-run double, cashing in a leadoff walk and a single, in the third before the Islanders squared things an inning later.

Dawson Flowers (1-2) hit Drake Kerr for the second time to start the fourth, sparking a second straight two-run inning that included an error on a sacrifice bunt to allow the eventual tying run to reach base.

Much like Hunsaker, who allowed only one hit in the final four innings of his six-inning performance, Flowers settled down, retiring 10 straight – and totaling 11 outs – following Persons’ RBI single in the fourth inning.

Persons and Trinidad were in the middle of what became the decisive run of the game in the seventh as Trinidad singled home Persons, who led off with a single on an 0-2 pitch and took second on an Isaac Webb groundout.

“I’d like to have back the way in which we gave away some of those early runs – a four-pitch walk to the nine-hole hitter, a leadoff HBP,” Bertrand said. “I thought we played really good defense today. Some things on the field we wish we could take back.”

Flowers worked a career-long seven innings, allowing five runs (four earned), before Aidan Newton struck out all six batters he faced in two perfect innings of relief.

Through two games of the series, the Demon bullpen of Newton and Caleb Bunch has struck out 12 in five shutout frames.

“Dawson, even after giving up the runs that made it 4-4, retired 10 in a row,” Bertrand said. “He’s competing. He’s doing everything we asked him to do. We’re all accountable as a group in that we would have liked to see them earn it in a different way. Our guys are competing. It felt like even though the hits were even, there weren’t many barrels in there. They had to get creative in how they got some runs.”

The Demons did not have the same success against the Islander bullpen they had Friday night as right-handers Joshua Flaugher, Samuel Feltz and Maddox Thornton (fifth save) all worked a perfect inning of relief.

Lipoma’s RBI double extended his hitting streak to a career-long 10 games while Rains’ gave him a hit in a career-long eight straight games. Trinidad went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs for the Islanders.

The series concludes with a 12 p.m. start Sunday. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi left-hander Zach Garcia (2-0, 4.07) takes the mound against NSU freshman right-hander Dylan Marionneaux (2-4, 7.77).

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 5, Northwestern State 4
AMCC 002 200 100 – 5 6 2
NSU 040 000 000 – 4 6 1
W – Riley Hunsaker (4-2). L – Dawson Flowers (1-2). S – Maddox Thornton (3). 2B – AMCC, Sebastian Trinidad. NSU, Reese Lipoma, Balin Valentine, Colin Rains. HR – NSU, Daniel Burroway (5). Highlights: AMCC, Trinidad 3-4, 2B, 3 RBIs; Mason Person 2-3, RBI. NSU, Lipoma 2-4, 2B, RBI.
Records: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 15-20, 3-5; Northwestern State 11-21, 4-4