CORPUS CHRISTI - A's top pitching prospect Jamie Arnold matched his season-high with nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings Tuesday night as Midland edged the Hooks, 3-2, in the series opener at Whataburger Field.
Corpus Christi trailed, 2-0, until Trevor Austin blasted a solo home run down the left-field line in the eighth inning. Austin's team-leading 16th home run was his second in as many games and his third long ball over a stretch of six contests.
Walker Janek led the Hooks nine-hit attack by going 4-for-5 with a stolen base. Janek's four singles matched his 2026 standard for most hits in a game. Since July 18, in the wake of a two-and-a-half month stay on the IL, the Portland, Texas native is batting .357 with eight extra-base hits, 14 steals, and a .960 OPS in 21 games.
Corpus Christi managed a marker in the ninth and had the tying run at third and winning run at second before Blaze Pontes nailed down the save for Midland.
Max Holy opened the home ninth with a walk and advanced to second on Alejandro Nuñez's base hit. Following a sac bunt by Hector Salas, Justin Thomas Jr., making his Double-A debut, lifted a sac fly to center for his first Hooks RBI.
CC lefty Trey Dombroski absorbed the loss, allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings. Hudson Leach spun two scoreless from the bullpen, and Andrew Marrero, in his first Whataburger Field appearance as a Hook, recorded four outs on nine pitches.