Steven Echavarria kept handing the RockHounds chances to take control Thursday night. Cameron Leary finally took one and drove it down the first-base line, turning a tense game into a 5-3 Midland victory over Corpus Christi at Momentum Bank Ballpark.
Leary’s two-out, bases-clearing double in the fifth supplied the separation after Midland had spent much of the night putting runners aboard without delivering the decisive hit. Echavarria made sure those missed opportunities never became costly, holding the Hooks to one hit and one earned run over five innings while striking out eight.
The right-hander improved to 2-0 with two walks allowed. Corpus Christi’s lone hit against him came from Jack Moss, whose first-inning double went nowhere after Echavarria struck out Will Bush and Tyler Whitaker.
Midland gave Echavarria a lead in the bottom half. Casey Yamauchi singled, stole a base and scored when Bobby Boser sent a two-out grounder into center. Boser finished 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Yamauchi had a hit and scored twice.
The RockHounds kept threatening. Brennan Milone singled in the third, and Boser doubled before Ali Camarillo singled and Leary walked to load the bases in the fourth. That rally ended with the night’s sharpest defensive play: Chase Call fought the wind to catch C.J. Pittaro’s fly in left, then threw Boser out at home for a double play.
Corpus Christi used a walk, a steal and a wild pitch to move Anthony Huezo to third in the fifth. Alejandro Nuñez’s groundout brought him home, tying the game despite Echavarria’s command.
Midland’s answer started with Logan Sauve’s single and a Corpus Christi error. Jared Sprague-Lott walked to load the bases, and Milone drew another walk to force home Sauve for a 2-1 lead. Hudson Leach struck out Boser before Andrew Marrero entered and induced an infield fly from Camarillo, leaving the RockHounds one out from wasting another crowded set of bases.
Leary ended that pattern. His sharp grounder slipped beneath first baseman Moss and raced down the right-field line into the corner. Yamauchi scored, Sprague-Lott followed and Milone came all the way around without a throw. The 19th double of Leary’s season had cleared the bases and pushed Midland ahead 5-1.
Leary went 1-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs, all delivered on the swing that decided the game.
The Hooks made the lead feel less comfortable almost immediately. Will Johnston allowed a single to Zach Daudet and a walk to Justin Thomas Jr. before Moss lashed a double into the right-center-field gap. The ball reached the wall, both runners scored and Corpus Christi had the tying run in scoring position with the margin down to 5-3.
Johnston walked Bush but struck out the next three hitters, stopping the rally there.
Shohei Tomioka removed the suspense from the next two innings. He retired all six hitters he faced, struck out two and earned his third hold. A.J. Causey worked around a ninth-inning hit batter for his third save, getting Nuñez to line out to right to close it.
Midland finished with eight hits and played error-free defense. Corpus Christi managed three hits — two of them Moss doubles — while committing three errors. Echavarria supplied the foundation, Leary finally cashed in the traffic, and the bullpen made their two-run cushion stand.