Matijevic & González Steam Sunday Win
MIDLAND – J.J. Matijevic and Norel González teamed to drive in all seven runs Sunday afternoon as the Hooks outlasted Midland, 7-5, in the series finale at Momentum Bank Ballpark. Corpus Christi picked up its second consecutive win thanks to a strong start by Hunter Brown, who struck out six
MIDLAND – J.J. Matijevic and Norel González teamed to drive in all seven runs Sunday afternoon as the Hooks outlasted Midland, 7-5, in the series finale at Momentum Bank Ballpark.
Corpus Christi picked up its second consecutive win thanks to a strong start by Hunter Brown, who struck out six while spreading one hit and three walks over 4.0 innings.
The lone RockHound run against Brown came on a one-out triple by Jeremy Eierman in the fourth. Kyle McCann cashed in with the sac fly to right field.
The Hooks staked themselves to an early 5-1 lead. Marty Costes opened the game with a walk from Bryce Conley, and then scampered home when González doubled off the bullpen fence in left.
In the fifth, Scott Manea looped a two-out single into right and Costes turned in another key free pass, as Matijevic followed with his fifth home run in a span of 11 games. González was next and lifted a 2-2 pitch from Conley (3-1) over the fence in right for his sixth long ball of the year.
The Hounds cut the Corpus Christi lead to one with a pair in the fifth and a single marker in the sixth.
González pushed it to a 7-4 margin with two away in the seventh by lining a 1-2 pitch from southpaw Zach Erwin into right, chasing home Manea and Costes, who had both drawn free passes by Brett Graves.
The first three reached against Kyle Serrano in the Midland seventh. Serrano, making his Double-A debut, induced a force out before initiating a strikeout-caught-stealing double play to limit the damage to a single run.
Catcher Manea and second baseman David Hensley collaborated on the final out of the frame, getting Eierman at the plate, after he took off from third when Collin Theroux was in a pickle between first and second.
With the score at 7-5 in the eighth, Serrano mitigated bases-loaded trouble by striking out No. 3-4 hitters Logan Davidson and Jonah Bride. Jon Olczak slammed the door in the frame with another K, and then went on to work around a lead-off single in the ninth to earn his second save in as many days.
Colin McKee (1-0) picked up the win after stranding five men on base over 1.1 innings of relief.
The Hooks are off Monday before opening at six-game series at Amarillo. CC right-hander Brett Daniels is slated to take the ball in Tuesday night’s opener.