CORPUS CHRISTI - Andrew Taylor picked up his second win in his third Double-A start and the Hooks sprung for four runs in the fifth Saturday night en route to a 7-5 win over the RockHounds before 4,632 fans at Whataburger Field.
Corpus Christi's second triumph of the week puts the club in position to force a split of the six-game series with a winning result Sunday.
After a pair of markers in the Midland first, Justin Thomas Jr. opened the home half with a mammoth home run to left field, crushing a 3-2 fastball at 104 MPH. Thomas' 18th homer of the year was his first Double-A hit.
Walker Janek upped his hitting streak with a two-out RBI single in the third.
Corpus Christi evened the score at 3 in the fourth thanks to a lead-off single by Tyler Whitaker and Marcus Brown RBI double.
The Hooks needed just two singles to send eight men to bat in the fifth. A walk, pair of hit-by-pitches and an error fueled the fire. Brown and Max Holy recorded RBIs in the frame. Holy's came via an infield single as part of a 3-for-4 day, including an eighth-inning double.
After permitting two runs in the first, Taylor held the Hounds a solo home run over his final four innings.
Alejandro Torres and Railin Perez teamed for four frames of two-run ball from the Hooks bullpen. Torres stranded three in the sixth as Perez earned his fourth save in two-inning fashion.