By Cody Stark
The Bearkats jumped on Baylor early, then held off a late rally to stretch their current winning streak to eight games Tuesday night.
Sam Houston State scored two runs in each of the first three innings and got a solid start from sophomore pitcher Daniel Nottebart to hand the ninth-ranked Bears a 9-8 setback in a nonconference matchup at Don Sanders Stadium.
The Kats improved to 26-13 on the season, while Baylor dropped to 25-13.
First baseman Nick Zaleski put Sam Houston up 2-0 in the bottom of the first with a two-run home run off the scoreboard in left field. Center fielder Justin Keithley hit an RBI double in the second and scored on a single by second baseman Braeden Riley.
The Bears yanked starting pitcher Willie Kempf (4-2) to start the third, but it didn’t do any good. SHSU shortstop Jon Reed led off the frame with a single and catcher Mark Wyatt blasted a two-run shot left to make it 6-1.
“I was really proud of them because we came out early and took the ballgame,” Bearkats head coach Mark Johnson said. “When you are playing a ranked team you sometimes come out a little timid and we didn’t do that. We went out there and got them. Our offense stole the show.”
Staked with a 6-0 lead, Nottebart (1-0) was lights out on the mound. He scattered three hits over three innings and finished with two strikeouts.
The only mistake Nottebart made was when he left a pitch up in the zone and Bears right fielder Aaron Miller crushed a solo homer to right to lead off the second inning. But Miller was a tough out Tuesday, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs.
“It’s a little tough going through their order because they are a really good hitting ballclub,” Johnson added. “I thought we matched up fine. Nottebart was a good call by coach (Chris) Berry. He started us off. They got the long ball, but he gave us a chance.”
After the Bearkats put two more runs on the board in the fifth thanks to a two-run double by third baseman Ryan Mooney, the Bears finally pieced together a rally in the sixth.
SHSU senior reliever Guillaume Duguay pitched a scoreless fourth and fifth, but ran into trouble with two outs in the sixth. Baylor cut the lead to 8-4 with a two-run homer by Dan Evatt and an RBI single by Brooks Kimmey.
Zaleski pushed the lead back to five after scoring on a pass ball in the bottom of the sixth.
The Bears made things interesting in the top of the ninth when Bearkats reliever Sean Weatherford gave up a walk and a single, the latter coming with two outs. Shaver Hansen hit a two-run double off reliever Matt Shelton, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Miller to cut the lead to 9-8.
But Shelton struck out Evatt looking to end the game.
“We have got ourselves in a different level right now, the level we have been pushing and pushing for,” Johnson said. “I think our pitchers have been doing a better job early in the ballgame and that was something we needed. That’s giving us a chance to get a lead and that makes it easier for us.”
The Bearkats return to action today when they host Houston Baptist in a doubleheader at 3:30 p.m.
