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Gallant finds ‘groove,’ pitches Bearkats past Houston 11-2
Dallas Gallant got his “groove” back Tuesday night.
The Sam Houston State sophomore looked more like the true freshman who pitched the Bearkats to the NCAA regionals last year by tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings in an 11-2 victory over Houston at Don Sanders Stadium.
Gallant, who has struggled this season, gave up two runs in the first inning and allowed the first two Cougars to reach to start the second. Then something clicked. He retired 14 of the next 16 batters he faced to improve to 2-3 on the season.
“After the first inning I got in my groove that I have been barely missing,” said Gallant, who gave up three hits in 6 1/3 innings and struck out six. “Something just clicked and I finally figured it out. I got great defense from my teammates and we put some runs on the board. After that it was my job to keep putting zeros on the board.”
The Bearkats (21-13) had problems figuring out Houston starter Mo Wiley in the first three innings. But when the fourth frame rolled around, Sam Houston got things going at the plate.
Second baseman Braeden Riley led off the inning with one of his three hits and moved to second on a wild pitch. First baseman Nick Zaleski ripped a double into the right-field corner to make it 1-0.
Shortstop Jon Reed was hit by a pitch to setup an RBI single by right fielder Tyler Knight, who was 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Catcher Mark Wyatt followed with a monster two-run double off the right-field wall and later scored on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Ryan Mooney to put the Kats up 5-2.
“I really think that we have the potential to get more outings like this from our pitching staff,” SHSU head coach Mark Johnson said. “Dallas was really good tonight. Guillaume (Duguay) did a great job coming in and he was really working his changeup, and I thought Ryan (Tepera) did some good things.
“With the way we hit the ball, if our pitching can keep this up, we will be tough to beat.”
The Bearkats kept pouring it on and rocked the Cougars (15-20) for three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Knight singled to start the sixth and Seth Hammock doubled to put runners in scoring position. Mooney singled off Houston reliever Chris Wright’s glove to stretch the lead to 7-2. Center fielder Justin Keithley hit an RBI triple for the other run.
Zaleski, who is batting .425 this season, and Reed hit back-to-back singles in the seventh. Knight then made it 11-2 with a three-run home run over the left-field wall.
The Kats collected 14 hits in the victory.
Duguay didn’t allow a hit in 1 2/3 innings and Tepera pitched a scoreless ninth to seal it.
“We did a good job moving the runners tonight,” Johnson said. “We swung the bats well against a good team and didn’t leave runners stranded at third. That took a lot of pressure off our pitchers.”
The Bearkats return to action tonight when they host Texas Southern in a make-up game at 6:30.
- SHSU Sports
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Time to crank it up
Sam Houston State head coach Willie Fritz knew coming into the season that he was going to have his hands full turning around the Bearkats’ football program.
The rest of the coaches in the Southland Conference apparently agree.
Coming off a 5-6 season, a fifth-place finish in league play and the loss of 15 starters, Sam Houston State has been tabbed to finish seventh in the SLC preseason coaches’ poll, which was announced Wednesday during the Southland Conference Football Media Day at the L’Auberge du Lac Resort. -
Pitching dominates Triple-A All-Star Game
Like the Major League All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif., pitchers dominated the Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday in Allentown, Pa.
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Almost there
After years of toiling in the minor leagues, Dustin Martin can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Rising through the ranks of the minor league system all the way from Rookie League, the former Sam Houston outfielder is playing some of his best baseball these days and will play in Wednesday’s Triple-A All-Star Game in Allentown Pa., which will be televised at 6 p.m. on the MLB Network. -
Gallant shining again in Cape Cod League
Maybe, just maybe, on the mound closing games is where Dallas Gallant needs to be if he’s going to make a name for himself.
For the second summer in a row, the Sam Houston State pitcher has performed marvelously when he finishes games for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, a member of the distinguished Cape Cod Baseball League. -
Bearkats enjoy banner year in classroom
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Belcher, Vilardi golf tournaments help rival football programs
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Kelly ready for NCAA golf regional
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“As an at-large entry, it’s difficult to advance but it’s not out of the question,” Kelly said. “I’m going into the tournament with high expectations and will give it my best shot.” -
Dreaming big
His mind has been working overtime. Huntsville senior Quenntin Tucker has spent the past two weeks preparing for the Class 4A Region III track meet.
Tucker practices the discus by day, then dreams about it at night. Physically and mentally, he’s ready for the big meet.
“I had a dream about this,” Tucker said last week during a short break from practice. “In the dream I finished second in our region, then I finished second at state.
“I woke up that morning smiling.” -
Same old story
The Bearkats must’ve felt as if they had a little bit of déjà vu.
For the second straight Saturday, the Bearkats used a monster inning to climb out of a huge hole only to see it slip away.
This time, it was Stephen F. Austin, which rallied for five runs in the final two innings and held off Sam Houston for a 14-13 win. -
UCA has Bearkat softball team on ropes
The Bearkats saw the light dim on their Southland Conference tournament aspirations Saturday afternoon.
Desperately in need of a series win to gain ground in the chase for the sixth and final seed, the Sam Houston State softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to Central Arkansas. - More SHSU Sports Headlines
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