James Hicks spent most of Friday night trying to escape the first inning. The Corpus Christi lineup spent the rest of it trying to escape the hole Midland had built.
Neither effort got far enough. The RockHounds struck for three runs in the first and three more in the fifth, while the Hooks managed two hits in a 6-1 loss at Momentum Bank Ballpark.
The trouble arrived with Midland’s first two batters. Casey Yamauchi dropped a soft single into the infield, and Jared Sprague-Lott drove a line drive down the left-field line. Yamauchi rounded second, was waved through third and beat the relay home, putting Corpus Christi behind before Hicks recorded an out.
Hicks came within one out of holding the deficit there. He retired Ali Camarillo and Euribiel Angeles, but Bobby Boser floated a two-out single into center to score Sprague-Lott. Cameron Leary followed with a looping liner into center, bringing Boser home for a 3-0 lead.
Corpus Christi had few chances to answer. Zane Taylor struck out the side in the first and held the Hooks hitless through four innings, collecting eight strikeouts and allowing only a walk. Will Bush drew that walk to begin the second, but Tyler Whitaker grounded into a double play.
The Hooks sent no ball out of the infield against Taylor.
Bush finally supplied a jolt after Jay Dill took over in the fifth. He drove a 1-1 pitch high toward right-center, where it carried against the wind and cleared the 12-foot fence near the 381-foot marker. His 13th home run cut Midland’s lead to 3-1 and ended the no-hit bid.
The opening disappeared just as quickly. Hicks retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the fifth before Euribiel Angeles singled and Boser walked. Leary then ripped a sharp line drive toward the right-field corner, scoring both runners and restoring Midland’s command.
The double ended Hicks’ night after 4 2/3 innings. Alejandro Torres entered and allowed an infield single to Pedro Pineda that brought Leary home with the sixth run, which was charged to Hicks.
Hicks fell to 5-12 after allowing six earned runs, striking out three and walking one. Midland finished with 11 hits, and Leary accounted for much of the damage, going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and a run. Boser reached safely in all four of his plate appearances, finishing 2-for-2 with a walk, a hit by pitch and an RBI.
The Hooks’ bullpen stopped the game from widening. Torres and Max Martin combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out three without issuing a walk.
There was no corresponding push from the Corpus Christi offense. The Hooks struck out 10 times, and Bush’s homer remained their only hit until Hector Salas dropped a soft single into left with one out in the ninth. Jack Moss followed by grounding into a game-ending double play.
Bush finished 1-for-2 with a walk and provided Corpus Christi’s only run and extra-base hit. Salas reached twice with the single and a walk. The rest of the Hooks’ lineup went hitless as Midland’s bullpen worked five innings and yielded only those three baserunners.
Corpus Christi committed one error, but Midland did not need it to shape the game. The RockHounds concentrated all six runs into two innings, and the Hooks never found enough offense to climb out of either one.