CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas- The University of Central Arkansas baseball team hit three home runs and pounded out 17 hits en route to a 9-8 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Chapman Field on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Bears tie up the series and improve to 24-25 overall and 11-15 in Southland Conference play. The Islanders fall to 22-28 and 14-12.

UCA got a strong relief outing from junior Matt Humphrey (3-2). The Maumelle, Ark. native struck out four and allowed three hits and two walks in 4.2 shutout innings. Islander closer Brett Gibson (3-2) suffered the loss and blew the save in the eighth inning, allowing three hits, two runs and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.

The Bears struck first in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly from senior right fielder Chris Houk and a RBI-single by sophomore designated hitter Eric Tennyson. TAMUCC cut the lead to 2-1 in the second when right fielder Chase Wheaton drove in catcher Stephen Flora with a base hit.

Wheaton and first baseman Trey Hernandez both hit sacrifice flies in the bottom of the third to go up 3-2. UCA regained the lead in the top of the fourth with a two-run homer by junior third baseman Jonathan Yerby and a RBI-single from junior second baseman Josh Huffman. Yerby added a solo shot in the fifth to give the Bears a 6-3 lead.

The Islanders plated five in the bottom of the fifth on a Flora double, a two-run blast by Wheaton, a RBI-triple by Hernandez and a sacrifice fly by second baseman Ernie Olivarez, moving the lead to 8-6.

UCA's left fielder Kevin Rawls hit a double and was driven in by Yerby in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 8-7. Huffman hit the game-winning two-run homer over the right field fence off of Gibson in the top of the eighth.

Huffman finished the game 4-for-6 with three runs batted in. Yerby was 3-for-5 with four RBI and sophomore shortstop Graham Martin was 3-for-5. For the Islanders, Flora went 4-for-5 and Wheaton was 2-for-4 with four RBI.

The Bears and Islanders will complete the series on Sunday at noon.