All Bearkat coach Mark Johnson wanted was for his freshman pitcher, Zach Neal, to be able to hold his own and get a lot of innnings of work. Not only did Neal pitch eight solid innings, but he didn’t allow Central Arkansas much offense either to help the Kats defeat the Bears 6-2 Sunday at Don Sanders Stadium and complete the three-game sweep.
“Zach did such a great job for us,” Johnson said. “They didn’t hit the ball well against him. It was really uplifting.”
In his first SLC start, Neal pitched eight innings and allowed only four hits.
“I felt good,” Neal said. “It was a team effort. We couldn’t have done it without the defense. ... I just tried to throw strikes and let them put it in play and let our defense do the work.”
The Bearkats (12-6 overall, 3-0 SLC) got things going right away scoring in the first inning. The leadoff hitter, Todd Sebek, didn’t waste any time and went after the first pitch he saw hitting it to the left field wall for a double. This double extended Sebek’s regular-season hitting streak to 18 games.
The very next batter, Keith Stein, brought Sebek home on a deep fly to the right field gap.
Central Arkansas (7-11, 0-3) answered right back in the second inning. Kent Taylor led off with a hard chopper that turned around Jaime Rohlmeier at second base. Rohlmeier made the throw, but Taylor stepped on first just in time. After a pop out by Scott Cline, Yerby was hit by a pitch. The Bears attempted a double steal, but although Taylor was picked off at third, Yerby made it safely to second. Chris Houk then hit a line drive to right field and Yerby motored in for the run.
Sam Houston bounced back and with baserunners on the corners, Ryan Weber grounded into a double play that scored Seth Hammock from third to give the Kats a 2-1 lead.
The Bears tied the game again in the sixth inning. Central Arkansas had runners on first and third when Taylor ripped a line drive down the right field line to score Kevin Rawls.
The Bearkats took the lead once again in the bottom of the sixth. Sam Houston had Mark Wyatt on second and Ryan Trevino on first. Weber hit a deep line drive to the right field gap to score Wyatt.
The Kats added two more in the seventh and one in the eighth for extra insurance to put away the Bears.
Sam Houston has a Tuesday game against Baylor in Waco before heading to Corpus Christi when they resume conference play on Thursday.
Sports
Kats sweep Bears
- Sports
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Bigger, faster and stronger, Hornets can’t wait to kick off 2012 football campaign
This spring, the Hornets have overhauled their offensive plans and head coach Shane Martin, his assistant coaches, and most importantly, the players are pumped about the changes they’ve made.
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Schallenberg: Kats now hoping résumé speaks for itself
Despite one of the best seasons in school and Southland Conference history, all the Bearkats can do now is watch scoreboards, wait and hope for the best.
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The thrill of victory ... the agony of defeat
The Bearkats knew exactly what they needed to get done and they were up to the task.
In order to reach championship day of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, the Kats would have to stave off elimination twice just to get to today’s final round.
The Bearkats nearly pulled it off. - Kats beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3
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Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark. -
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark. -
Schallenberg: Time is now for Bearkats in Southland tourney
The Bearkats look to take care of business this week in the Southland Conference baseball tournament.
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Alpha Omega Academy trio shine at state track meet
Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds
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Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.
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BEARKAT BASEBALL — Plenty up for grabs against fifth-ranked Rice
For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.
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