Kenya Huggins kept giving himself a chance to escape the eighth inning. A groundout came before the first walk, a flyout after the second. One more out would have preserved the tie Midland had spent much of Tuesday night rebuilding.
Instead, a third walk loaded the bases, and Chase Call lined a two-run single into left-center field to send the RockHounds to a 6-4 loss to Corpus Christi at Momentum Bank Ballpark.
The decisive swing followed a laborious inning from Huggins, who began it by retiring Tyler Whitaker on a soft grounder. He walked Will Bush and Jack Moss before getting Alberto Hernandez to fly out, then lost Alejandro Nuñez to fill the bases. Call, hitless in his first three at-bats, drove in Bush and Moss with a sharp liner.
Huggins struck out Zach Daudet to end the inning, but the damage stood. He allowed two earned runs and three walks over two innings and took the loss.
Midland had no answer once Corpus Christi reclaimed the lead. Andrew Marrero retired the RockHounds in order in the eighth, completing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in which he set down all seven batters he faced. Railin Perez followed with a perfect ninth for his fifth save.
That quiet finish followed a persistent comeback from a Midland lineup that collected nine hits and worked its way out of an early three-run hole.
Corpus Christi built that lead against Braden Nett in the second. Jack Moss and Alberto Hernandez reached on successive singles before Nuñez turned on a pitch and sent a line drive into the right-field bullpen for a three-run homer.
The RockHounds answered before the inning ended. Euribiel Angeles singled, and Pedro Pineda reached on a soft grounder with two outs. With Pineda running on a full count, Cameron Leary ripped a ball back through the middle to score Angeles and send Pineda racing to third.
Midland cut the deficit again in the fourth. Casey Yamauchi doubled to center and scored when Pineda stayed on a 2-2 pitch and drove it through the right side. The hit was Pineda’s second of the game and brought the RockHounds within 3-2.
Corpus Christi restored a two-run cushion in the fifth after Nett issued walks to Daudet and Justin Thomas Jr. Anthony Huezo lifted a run-scoring double to right, accounting for the fourth earned run against Nett. The right-hander finished five innings with four strikeouts and two walks.
The RockHounds responded with their best push of the night. Jared Sprague-Lott reached on a throwing error, and Angeles pulled a sharp liner to the base of the bullpen fence in left, scoring Sprague-Lott. Ali Camarillo followed with a line-drive single to right that brought Angeles home and tied the game at 4-4.
Angeles finished 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Pineda also went 2-for-4 and drove in a run, while Leary went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base.
Midland threatened once more in the sixth. Leary singled and moved to third on Sprague-Lott’s two-out single. Marrero entered and stranded both runners by getting Brennan Milone to line out, beginning a closing stretch in which Corpus Christi retired 10 straight RockHounds.
That left the game balanced until the eighth, when three walks loaded the bases and Call supplied the blow.