Stephen F. Austin defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 8-3 in the Southland Conference series opener at Chapman Field, according to an April 2 announcement. The win marks the third consecutive victory for Stephen F. Austin and their fourth in the last five games, improving their overall record to 17-14 and their conference record to 8-5.
The game began with a two-run home run by Josh Ibe in the second inning, followed by a three-run homer from Jhett Creel in the fifth inning that helped build a lead for pitcher Cody Templeton. Cermodrick Bland added an RBI double later in the game, contributing to Stephen F. Austin’s offensive output of four extra-base hits.
After Texas A&M-Corpus Christi scored two runs in response, Stephen F. Austin regained momentum with additional runs driven by Mark Henning’s leadoff double and Ethan Peña’s scoring play following Coby DeJesus’s single. Templeton pitched five innings with eight strikeouts and stranded all eight opposing base runners.
Jack James finished the final two innings with two strikeouts while Reid Bowyer allowed only one run over his two innings on the mound. Postgame notes indicate that Bland and Peña each recorded three hits, with Peña achieving his team-leading 14th multi-hit game of the season.
The teams will meet again for game two of the series at Chapman Field on Friday night.
