For four innings Friday night the Bearkats couldn't figure out Texas-Arlington pitcher Andy Sauter.

The senior right-hander did a good job of mixing up offspeed pitches and getting ahead in the count without giving up any hits. But when the fifth inning rolled around, Sam Houston State finally broke through.

Freshman Peter Goudeau sparked a three-run fifth with a two-run double down the left-field line and senior Jacob Howard was lights out on the mound to lead the Bearkats to an 8-2 victory over the Mavericks in the opening game of a Southland Conference series at Don Sanders Stadium.

“We stayed with it and kept trying to make adjustments on (Sauter) and finally got through,” SHSU head coach Mark Johnson said. “We did a lot it with the bottom of the order. Peter hit the ball good, Ryan (Mooney) got some hits and Heath Pugh had an RBI. It's good when it doesn't have to be the top of the order, and I was happy with that.”

The Bearkats' 6-7-8-9 hitters accounted for seven runs and seven hits Friday night to help Sam Houston improve to 1-0 in SLC play and 8-4 on the season. Mooney led the way with three hits and two RBIs. Goudeau also had two hits. Pugh had a two-run single and Tyler Knight launched a solo home run just under the scoreboard in left field in the eighth.

Senior Nick Zaleski was the first to get to Sauter with a leadoff double to start the fifth. Then with one out, Pugh was hit by a pitch on a 1-2 count. Goudeau ripped a double down the line that got hung up in the left-field corner to put the Kats on top 2-1.

Mooney followed with an RBI single and Pugh drove in two more runs in the sixth to break the game open.

“Throughout the early innings, I don't want to say we weren't awake, we just had to make adjustments,” Goudeau said. “In the fifth inning, (Howard) spoke up and we woke up. Zaleski got us started, and I just tried to put a good swing on the ball and got it down the line.”

Howard gave up a run in the first inning after issuing a leadoff walk to Preston McCoy, who came around to score on a single to center by Matt Otteman. After that, Howard settled in and only allowed two hits over the next six innings as the Mavericks (0-1, 5-6) struggled at the plate.

Howard, who was making his first start of the year after missing most of last season with a shoulder injury, scattered seven hits in 7 1/3 innings and had seven strikeouts with one walk to move to 2-0.

“I was a little nervous because it had been a while since I started,” Howard said. “I wanted to see how my arm was going to hold up. The defense did a really good job as usual and it was really fun. My arm feels fine.”

Howard started to run out of gas in the top of the eighth. Jay Pitschka singled to start the inning and Tim Steggall added a one-out hit to get a runner in scoring position. UTA center fielder Michael Choice then singled to left field to cut the lead to 6-2.

Freshman Sean Weatherford, who earned the save, relieved Howard and gave up an infield single to Otteman to load the bases. But Andrew Kainer then grounded to short and Mooney turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.

Knight quickly pushed the lead back to five with his home run in the bottom half of the frame, and Mooney drove in Goudeau, who hit another double to left, with a single.

The Bearkats and Mavericks continue the three-game series today at 5 p.m. The finale is Sunday at 1 p.m.