CORPUS CHRISTI - Midland chipped away at an early three-run Hooks edge Friday night, winning a back-and-forth affair, 7-6, before 5,868 fans at Whataburger Field.Corpus Christi (18-16) put four of the first five runners on in the first, but settled for one marker as Joel Seddon coaxed a double play
CORPUS CHRISTI - Midland chipped away at an early three-run Hooks edge Friday night, winning a back-and-forth affair, 7-6, before 5,868 fans at Whataburger Field.
Corpus Christi (18-16) put four of the first five runners on in the first, but settled for one marker as Joel Seddon coaxed a double play to short the rally.
With the score level at one and two down in the second, Stephen Wrenn sent a two-run double down the left-field line for a 3-1 Hooks lead. Josh Rojas then cracked a chopper up the middle which was handled by the diving second baseman Eli White. Wrenn scampered home from second on the play, putting the home team up by 3.
Framber Valdez struck out two in a scoreless third but permitted three runs in the fourth to level the score. Seth Brown provided the big blow with a two-run home run down the right-field line.
Midland (19-15) pushed ahead in the fifth. Brown smoked a two-out double to left-center and promptly scored on Tyler Marincov's flare into left field.
Trailing 5-4, Randy César and Nick Tanielu opened the Hooks sixth with a single and double, respectively. A John Gorman wild pitch made it a 5-5 contest. One out later, Alex De Goti punched a base hit up the middle for a 6-5 Corpus Christi advantage.
Justin Ferrell, making his Double-A debut, worked around two singles through the sixth and seventh. The decisive frame was the eighth as Richie Martin cashed in on a pop-fly error by catcher Jamie Ritchie with a double to left field. Back-to-back RBI singles by Brett Vertigan and Eli White put Midland ahead to stay.
Lefty Dean Kiekhefer stranded two in the ninth for the save.
Tanileu and Myles Straw each had three hits, including a double. Straw notched his Minor League leading 20th stolen base in the first inning.
Hooks hurlers, who fanned 15 Friday night, have struck out 31 in the first two games of the series.
Brock Dykxhoorn (2-0, 1.71) is slated to make the start for Corpus Christi Saturday night. First pitch 7:05.
