McNeese State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Set for Southland Series Rubber Match

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Interstat) — The McNeese State Cowboys and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders will decide their Southland Conference series Sunday evening after splitting the first two games.

The Cowboys (19-18, 3-5 Southland) evened the series with a 9-4 win Friday, but the Islanders (17-22, 4-7) answered with a 7-6 victory Saturday. The series finale is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Chapman Field.

McNeese State reliever Connor Achee is a player to watch after a dominant performance in Saturday’s loss. He threw four hitless, scoreless innings of relief, striking out four. Over his last seven appearances, Achee has a 1.80 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 15 innings, allowing just seven hits.

For the Islanders, reliever Luke Singleton has been equally effective. He earned the win Saturday, allowing one run over four innings. In his last seven outings, Singleton has surrendered just two earned runs over 16.2 innings, holding opponents to a .098 batting average.

Offensively, the Cowboys will look to build on Saturday’s power display from Matt Stancliff, who hit two home runs, and Danny Barbero, who added a solo shot. The Islanders’ Jackson Smith, who had two hits and an RBI Saturday, has been a consistent bat in the lineup.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the Cowboys are projected to win 7-3.

Both teams are looking to build momentum ahead of key conference series next weekend. McNeese State will host Texas-Rio Grande Valley, while Texas A&M-Corpus Christi travels to face Incarnate Word.

First pitch is set for Sunday afternoon.