CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – HBU broke open a one-run game with a four-run fifth inning and went on to a 10-3 victory over fellow Southland Conference foe Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a non-conference baseball matchup Tuesday night at Chapman Field.
Junior centerfielder
Jonathan Ducoff went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs, while senior catcher
Jake Pulcheon went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and scored three times for the Huskies (20-21). Sophomore third baseman
Elijah Simon went 3-for-5 and scored a run, senior shortstop
Tyler Depreta-Johnson went 3-for-4 and scored three times and junior first baseman
Grant Buck added a home run and two RBIs.
Senior righthander
Cameron Copeland (1-0) earned his first career victory, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings and allowing only one. He came into the game in the sixth with the bases loaded and got out of the frame by inducing a double play. He was one of six pitchers used by HBU, with junior lefthander
Taylor Franzman coming back off an injury for his first career start and tossing a perfect first frame.
Harrison Dinicola and Thomas Jeffries IV each went 2-for-4 for the Islanders (20-22), who did not record an extra-base hit. Jackson Owens and Scott Burfantz drove in runs for TAMU-CC.
Starter Jackson Owens (2-3) took the loss, allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 3.1 innings. A.G. Ayala gave up four runs in one-third of an inning and the Islanders used seven pitchers on the night.
Pulcheon walked and scored on Ducoff's RBI double to stake HBU to a lead in the second inning. The Huskies extended the advantage to 3-0 in the third on a sacrifice fly by senior leftfielder
Spencer Halloran, followed by an RBI single by senior designated hitter
Matt Heck, who extended his hitting streak to nine games.
TAMU-CC answered in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Owens and scoring a run on an attempted double steal before HBU could record the final out of the inning on a rundown.
Depreta-Johnson and Halloran led off the fifth with back-to-back walks, but Heck popped up for the first out. Pulcheon delivered an RBI single, then Halloran scored on a wild pitch. Buck then ripped a two-run shot to right for his first career home run at HBU and put the Huskies ahead, 7-2.
Pulcheon and Ducoff posted back-to-back RBI doubles in the sixth and Halloran scored the Huskies' final run when he and Heck pulled off a double steal and the catcher's throw to second sailed into centerfield.
The Huskies head to Northwestern State for a three-game Southland Conference series Friday through Sunday in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Legacy Sports Network audio broadcasts with
Russ Reneau begin with the pregame show 10 minutes prior to each first pitch and are available on HBUHuskies.com.
