ROBSTOWN – For the second-straight day, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Lamar baseball teams went extra innings as it took 12 innings for a winner to be decided on Sunday in Fairgrounds.

Unlike Saturday when the Islanders received a walk-off home run from Stephen Flora in the bottom of the 10th inning to win the game, it was Lamar that pulled off the extra-inning heroics on Sunday as Steven Tucker drove in Tyler Link with an RBI single to break a 5-5 tie. The Cardinals added two more runs for the 8-5 victory and win the three-game series.

“We had some momentum coming off of Saturday’s win,” said Islander head coach Scott Malone. “As the game went through the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, I think everyone thought we had a chance to win the game. It was a great atmosphere. We just never got the hits together to get that run. Lamar finally got the big hit to start the 12th and that is the difference in the ball game.”

All three games of the series were decided in the final inning. Lamar broke a 3-3 tie with three runs in the top of the ninth on Friday before Flora’s game-winning home run on Saturday.

The Islanders fall to 9-9 in the Southland Conference with the loss and are 14-25 overall. Lamar is 12-6 in the league and 23-16 overall.

Link led off the final inning with a double off Bryant Sparkman and moved to third on sacrifice bunt by Brian Taylor. Link crossed the plate on the single off Jake Olier by Tucker for the No. 3 hitter’s third RBI of the game. After Chris Dunkin walked, Travis Dunson doubled off Brett Gibson to plate Tucker. Dunkin scored another insurance run on a single to right by Gumeson.

Matt Gore, who allowed one hit in three innings of relief, ended the game by retiring Stephen Flora, Trey Hernandez, and Chase Wheaton in order to earn his first win of the season. Gore struck out two batters.

Sparkman (1-1) was credited with his first loss of the season despite turning in a solid relief appearance. The junior righty went a career-best five innings allowing the one run on two hits, while striking out five.

“If you had told me that Sparkman would pitch five innings as well as he did today, I wouldn’t have thought it,” said Malone. “He pitched tremendous.”

Lamar scored two runs off Roy Ferdin in the first on run-scoring singles by Dunkin and Dunson. Ferdin allowed eight singles in 4-2/3 innings of work and did not walk a batter.

“Roy had a good approach today and threw strikes,” said Malone. “He gave up eight hits but he definitely wasn't tattooed. Lamar just did a good job of placing the ball. Roy didn’t walk anybody and that is what we need from him and why he is a starter.”

The Islanders cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the first as Chase Williams tripled off Justin Walker to lead things off. He scored as Stephen Flora reached on an infield error.

Catcher Adrian Salinas tied the game at two in the bottom of the second with a home run to left off Walker. It was Salinas’ first home run as an Islander.

Walker pitched nine innings allowing five runs on 13 hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven.

After Taylor scored on a sacrifice fly by Dunson in the third, the Islanders took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth with three runs for a 5-3 advantage.

With one out, Chase Wheaton, who finished with a team-best three hits, singled and went to second on a hit by Bryan Gerondale. Wheaton scored on a hit by Adrian Salinas. Brycen Bell continued the inning with a single to load the bases for Ernie Olivarez. Olivarez hit a two-run single off Walker.

Lamar tied the game in the top of the seventh with a pair of runs. With one away, Link walked off Brett Gips and Taylor singled. The left-handed Tucker then tied the game with a two-run double to left-center field off Mike Miller, who entered the game to put lefty on lefty.

“Gips had been pitching well and then walked Link and it forced our hand to make a change,” said Malone. “Miller had done a great job in recent games of getting the left-handed hitters out. Today it just didn’t work out.”

The Islanders finished with 14 hits lead by Wheaton’s four. The senior extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Williams, Gerondale, Salinas, Bell and Olivarez each posted two. Lamar had 15 hits as a team with Taylor recording four. Tucker added three and three others had two. Dunson and Tucker drove in three runs apiece.