Wild Win Opens Cumbia Weekend

Box Score

CORPUS CHRISTI - While clubbing four home runs, Corpus Christi fended off a frenzied comeback bid by Amarillo Friday night, forging a 10-9 win before 4,612 fans at Whataburger Field.

The Hooks, playing this weekend as the Corpus Christi Cumbias, grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first on dingers by Zach Daniels and Luis Aviles Jr. Daniels fourth homer in an eight-game span capitalized on an infield hit by Kenedy Corona.

With an exit speed of 105 MPH, Joey Loperfido whipped a double into right-center in the third. Aviles, .433 with seven home runs and 15 RBIs in eight games at Whataburger Field, cashed in Loperfido with a two-out single through the left side.

The Hooks netted their fifth run in the fourth as Chad Stevens opened by lacing a single into left at 113 MPH. J.C. Correa was next and lined a double into the right-field corner, chasing Stevens home from second.

Blair Henley worked 4 2/3 innings in a starting role for CC, limiting the Sod Poodles to one run, four hits and one walk while striking out four. Cesar Gomez finished the fifth by retiring the lone man he faced to leave a runner at second.

Zach Daniels made it a 4-RBI day with a two-out knock in the sixth, plating Stevens and Corona who both worked walks.

Amarillo erased a 7-1 Hooks lead by scoring seven runs from the seventh through the eighth.

Loperfido got a run back by depositing an opposite-field home run onto the berm in left to begin the seventh, his fourth long ball in eight games.

Stevens smashed an 8-8 stalemate with a 459-foot clout that cleared the bullpen in left-center to start the eighth. He has gone deep in two of the last five contests.

Two outs later, Corona employed a hustling double and an Amarillo error for Corpus Christi's 10th run. The marker proved to be decisive as the Sod Poodles managed one more run before the finish.

Tyler Brown, who retired back-to-back hitters to strand the bases full in the eighth, later notched a strikeout to end the game as Amarillo had runners staged at second and third. Stevens, playing shortstop, aided Brown with a lead-saving diving stop behind the bag for the second out of the ninth.

Corpus Christi is hitting .324 with 32 runs, seven doubles, one triple, 10 home runs and a 1.019 OPS this week while taking three of the first four from Amarillo.