Box Score Box Score
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Chris Vergne capped a five-run fourth inning with a two-run single and added an eighth-inning grand slam as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi recorded 14 hits and defeated No. 24-ranked Southeastern Louisiana, 10-5, in a Southland Conference game Friday afternoon at Chapman Field.
The series resumes on Saturday in a 2 p.m. contest. The game can be heard on the internet (courtesy of A&M-CC) at www.LionSports.net.
Southeastern, which was led by
Joe Sparacino who went 2-for-4 with a home run, broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when Sparacino laced a two-out single through the right side that scored
Jeff Harkensee and
Cody Gougler.
The Islanders responded in the bottom half of the frame, collecting five hits with Roman Madrid tying the game at 2-2 with a two-run single to center field. Vergne, who went 2-for-5 with six RBI, then put A&M-CC ahead for good with a two-run double off
Brandon Efferson (7-2) and Trey Hernandez followed with a RBI single to give the Islanders a 5-2 lead.
Sparacino added a solo home run for the Lions in the seventh off Islander starter Jake Leidka (3-1) that cut the lead to 5-3, but Hernandez led off the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run to left.
The Islanders put the game away in the eighth after Jeramie Marek and Madrid reached on singles and Caleb Marx drew a walk to load the bases. Vergne followed with his fourth home run of the season giving A&M-CC a 10-3 lead.
Liedka scattered five hits and fanned five in seven innings for the Islanders before three pitchers combined to hold the Lions to one hit the rest of the way. Madrid went 4-for-4 with two RBI for A&M-CC while Hernandez went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Josh Cryer went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in the ninth for Southeastern. Efferson pitched 5.1 innings for the Lions, allowing eight hits, five runs with five strikeouts.
Southeastern La. 000 200 102 - 5 6 2
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 000 500 14x - 10 14 0
Efferson, Lopez (6), Wax (8) and Cryer. Liedka, Pena (8), Garcia (9), Campbell (9) and Madrid. W – Liedka (3-1). L – Efferson (7-2). E – Efferson (3), Lopez (1). LOB – SLU 6, AMCC 7. 2B – Gougler (10), Vergne (10), Madrid (3). HR – Sparacino (5), Vergne (4), Hernandez (12). SH – Marx (3). SB – Pinder (3), CS – Olier (1). T – 2:50. A – 165.
