CORPUS CHRISTI - The Hooks plated a pair of eighth-inning runs for a gritty 8-6 win over the RockHounds Thursday night at Whataburger Field.
Alex Santos II and Amilcar Chirinos teamed for four frames of shutout relief as Corpus Christi snapped a two-game slide by picking up its first triumph of the series.
The Hooks pushed ahead, 4-2, with three runs in the third. Drew Wyers singled in his first pro plate appearance to start the frame. One out later, Trevor Austin bounced a 1-1 pitch down the third base line for an RBI double.
Austin, 2-for-4 on the day, is batting .367 (11x30) with two doubles, three home runs, and eight RBIs over the course of an eight-game hitting streak.
On the very next pitch, Walker Janek upped his hitting streak to seven games by clearing the berm in left field with a mammoth two-run home run. Janek, toting a .400 batting average over his last seven games, has clubbed five homers with a .953 OPS in 23 contests dating to late July.
After Midland took a 5-4 edge, Corpus Christi, sparked by an Alejandro Nuñez lead-off double, posted two in the home fourth to pull back in front.
With the contest level at 6 in the eighth, Will Bush drew a walk and Tyler Whitaker notched his second hit of the day to start Corpus Christi's rally. Marcus Brown cashed in a bases-loaded opportunity by bouncing a high chopper to first enabling Bush to score on a close play at the plate. Wyers added insurance via a sac fly.
Santos dispatched six of eight batters through the fifth and the sixth, striking out five. Santos, carrying a 3.38 ERA in 39 appearances, has allowed just one run over his last seven outings. During this stretch, the 24-year-old from The Bronx has struck out 24 against four walks and 10 hits in 11.0 innings.
Chirinos, who ranks third in the Texas League with eight saves, improved to 4-1 with a 3.06 ERA in 41 games by blanking Midland in the eighth and ninth. Since July 4th, Chirinos owns a 1.72 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 15.2 innings thru 14 assignments.