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D.J. Shafer
Ten in a row and counting
Bearkats bomb Houston Baptist in doubleheader sweep
Sam Houston State took batting practice Wednesday afternoon to the tune of 47 hits in a pair of run-rule victories over Houston Baptist in a nonconference doubleheader at Don Sanders Stadium.
The Bearkats used a nine-run second inning and an eight-run fourth to down the Huskies 22-12 in eight innings in the opener as catcher Mark Wyatt hit a pair of home runs. Sam Houston then scored seven runs in the bottom of sixth to topple Houston Baptist 18-6 in the nightcap.
Justin Keithley totaled seven hits on the day and drove in eight runs. Ryan Mooney collected six hits, including a grand slam in game two, to finish with seven RBIs as the Bearkats (28-13) stretched their current winning streak to 10 games.
“We did very, very well offensively,” SHSU head coach Mark Johnson said. “We played a lot of different guys and everybody got to play tonight. That part is good from a coach’s standpoint. We had guys in different positions and had guys pitching that haven’t thrown much. It got a little sloppy and long, but we hit the ball well.”
The Kats jumped out to a 9-0 lead in game one thanks to a big second inning. Daniel Nottebart got the scoring going with a two-run single. Keithley and Braeden Riley each hit RBI singles and Wyatt capped the frame with a two-run shot to left-center field.
Sam Houston increased its lead to 17-2 in the fourth. Wyatt got the frame going with a three-run blast to center. Tyler Lundy added a run-scoring double. Keithley drove in two with a double and Riley hit an RBI single. The final run came on a fielder’s choice by Jon Reed.
Dallas Gallant and Justin Jackson, who improved to 3-0, held the Huskies (8-28) to only two runs through six innings. But in the top of the seventh, relievers Spencer Parish and Nicholas Daniels combined to give up 10 runs off nine hits to prolong the game another inning.
The Bearkats then scored one in the bottom of the frame and got a walk-off two-run double by Mooney in the eighth to end it.
“When you have a 19-2 lead in the first game, you think how this is going to be a seven-inning game,” Johnson added. “It didn’t turn out that way, but they hit the ball in some key spots and we got to let some guys pitch that haven’t been able to. We did keep scoring, so it was a good offensive day.”
Sam Houston once again jumped on Houston Baptist early in the nightcap. Mooney put the Kats up 4-0 in the first inning with a grand slam off the scoreboard in left field.
Backup catcher and former Huntsville standout Brandon Yates scored on a triple by Keithley to start the second. Riley, Tyler Knight, Peter Goudeau and Adam DeLaGarza also drove in runs to push the lead to 10-0.
Junior Ryan Tepera (2-1) got the start on the mound and gave up two runs in 2 2/3 innings to notch the win. Sophomore Cody Springer gave up a three-run homer in the third, but pitched the final 4 1/3 innings to earn the save.
The Bearkats scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 18-6. DeLaGarza, Yates, Keithley, Nick Zaleski and Mooney all drove in runs in the frame and Springer pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to seal it.
Sam Houston State returns to action Friday when the Bearkats host Southeastern Louisiana in the opener of a three-game Southland Conference series at 6:30 p.m.
“This game served its purposes,” Johnson added. “If I would have had my choice I wouldn’t have wanted to do it right in front of a big conference weekend and right after a big win over Baylor. But on a whole I thought we came out well. I told them it was a work day and we got lots of work in.”
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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
With the release of grade point averages for the more than 400 Bearkats participating in varsity sports, plus the announcement by the Southland Conference office of the annual Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, the 2009-10 season goes in the books as another banner academic year for Sam Houston State University.
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Belcher, Vilardi golf tournaments help rival football programs
Golfers in the Huntsville area can help the football programs at both Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin, two longtime rivals that soon will be adding new excitement to their annual “Battle of the Piney Woods” when they kick off this fall at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
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Kelly ready for NCAA golf regional
When Sam Houston’s Scott Kelly tees off Thursday in the NCAA South Central Regional men’s golf tournament, his goal will be simple. He wants to become the first Bearkat golfer to earn a spot in the national tournament.
“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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