Hooks clobber Missions, clinch first-half title

SAN ANTONIO - The Hooks took control early and cruised to a 12-0 victory on Monday night at Wolff Stadium as Corpus Christi clinched the Texas League South Division's first half championship. The win clinched the sixth postseason berth in the club's 14-year history.

Corpus Christi jumped all over San Antonio starter Colin Rea. In the first, Jamie Ritchie laced a two-RBI single with two outs to give the Hooks a 2-0 advantage. Moments later, Alex De Goti collected a run-scoring double to stretch the lead to 3-0.
In the second, Josh Rojas laced an RBI double to right centerfield against Rea to make it 4-0.
The Hooks continued to pour on in the third, plating three more runs to make it a 7-0 game. Chas McCormick's ripped a two-run triple to centerfield and later raced into score on a wild pitch.
During the offensive explosion, right-hander Forrest Whitley once again shined on the mound. Whitley tossed four scoreless frames while allowing just two hits and striking out seven hitters. Yordan Alvarez's RBI single in the top of the fourth gave the Hooks an 8-0 lead.
Alex Winkelman replaced Whitley in the fifth and stranded the bases loaded. Akeem Bostick then entered in the sixth and began a stellar relief outing, blanking the Missions over four scoreless frames to secure the win.  
Bostick allowed five hits and struck out two batters. He ran into trouble in the seventh and induced a ground ball double play to escape trouble. Bostick's performance earned the righty his second save of the campaign.
Alvarez put the finishing touches on Corpus Christi's first half title as he crushed a three-run homer to dead centerfield in the eighth against right-hander T.J. Weir. Alvarez's eighth blast of the season gave the Hooks an 11-0 lead.
McCormick added a run-scoring single in the ninth to make it 12-0.
The Hooks begin the season's second half in San Antonio on Tuesday night. Right-hander Yoanys Quiala makes the start for the Hooks while the Missions counter with righty Cal Quantrill.