CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The 24^th-ranked Lamar University Cardinals held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi off the scoreboard for eight innings but the Islanders rallied for six runs on three hits in the ninth with the big blow being an Issac Webb walk-off home run to hand the Islanders a 6-3 victory Friday at Chapman Field.
 
Just their second loss in the last eight games, and only the third in the last 26 contests, the Cardinals are 29-7 (.806) on the season and remain in first place of the Southland standings with an 8-2 (.800) record.
 
The Cardinals scored their three runs on six hits, while Islanders scored six on seven hits with two errors. Lamar scored its runs in the second and third inning while A&M-Corpus Christi did all of its damage in the ninth.
 
Senior Brooks Caple got the start for Lamar and went 7.0 innings of scoreless baseball allowing just four hits and a walk with three strikeouts but didn't figure into the decision. Austin Neal pitched a scoreless eighth inning but ran into the trouble in the ninth to record his first loss of the season (2-1).
 
Matthew Watson gave the Islanders 8.0 innings but also didn't figure into the decision. Watson finished the game allowing three runs – all earned – on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
 
Five different Cardinals recorded hits Friday led by Zak Skinner's 2-for-4 effort with a home run and two RBIs. Lamar's other RBI came off the bat of Logan Hamm who got the start at designated hitter.
 
The Cardinals got the scoring started in the top half of the second. After loading the bases, Logan Hamm worked a four-pitch walk to give LU a 1-0 lead. Caple made quick work of the Islanders in the bottom half of the inning to get the Lamar bats back to the plate. Big Red responded with a two-out, two-run homer off the bat of Zak Skinner (5) to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi threatened in the home half loading the bases with only one out in the inning. With the infield drawn in, Caple got Garrett Gruell to swing at a 2-0 pitch and hit a chopper to third. Ruiz fielded it and quickly fired home for the first out and Skinner made the turn to beat the runner at first ending the inning.
 
Caple had it on cruise control has he got the Red and White through 7.0 scoreless. He turned things over to Neal in the 8.0 and Neal was just as effective sitting the Islanders down in order including a strikeout.
 
Unfortunately, the Islanders would rally in the ninth. After striking out the first batter of the inning, Corpus Christi got back-to-back hits followed by a hit batter and two walks. Webb stepped to the plate with his team trailing by a run and swung at the fourth pitch he saw taking it over the left field wall for the victory.
 
The two teams return to action Saturday for the second game of the series. Game two is slated for a 2 p.m. start from Chapman Field. It will be streamed live on ESPN+.