CORPUS CHRISTI ? After playing 11 innings the night before, the Sam Houston State Bearkats decided to put Friday night semifinal game against Southeastern Louisiana away a little earlier in the contest ? but not by much.
Jon Reed connected for a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to cap a three-run inning and give the Bearkats a 7-2 win over the Lions to put the Kats in the Championship game for the third straight year. The Kats will play the winner of Lamar and Texas State who were still playing late Friday night.
“We had some clutch hitting, some keys guys who aren't necessarily our most prolific hitters stepped up in key situations,” SHSU head coach Mark Johnson said. “Once we extended the lead, we felt comfortable; the one or two-run lead wasn't going to be enough. Once we extended it to five, that made it easier for Will Skelton to go out there and get after them.”
Dallas Gallant, who hadn't started since April 22 against Houston Baptist, gave the Bearkats six strong innings of work, keeping the Lions scoreless on just two hits. He gave way to Skelton in the seventh inning after allowing the first to hitters to reach. Skelton gave up a single that brought home two, but got out of the threat to preserve the 3-2 lead.
“I knew that I had to get us late into the game and eat up some innings,” Gallant said. “I knew our offense would get us some runs and our defense would be great behind us. I finally got in a groove around the third inning and everything started turning the right way then.”
The Bearkats got on the board first, scoring three runs in the fourth inning. Reed reached on a walk and was able to score on a couple of wild pitches, the second coming on a third-strike swing by Daniel Nottebart, who reached on the play. It would have been the third out of the inning.
Two batters later, just like he did the night before, Adam DeLaGarza delivered a two-out single to bring home Tyler Knight and Nottebart to put the Kats up 3-0.
“Adam DeLaGarza is sitting there in the nine hole and his hitting looks a little bit ugly at times, but he will get a big hit for us and turn it around,” Johnson said. “He really gave us a lift. If you are going to look at one major hit to give us momentum, DeLaGarza's was it. Like I told the guys afterwards, everybody counts and everybody is contributing.”
After the Lions scored the two runs in the top half of the seventh, the Kats were able to answer right back. Thursday night's hero Mark Wyatt delivered a two-out single in the bottom half of the frame for a 4-2 lead.
It was the bottom of the eighth the Kats finally broke the game open. Heath Pugh singled and with two outs Braeden Riley collected his 104th hit of the season, a new SHSU and SLC single-season record. Ryan Mooney then followed with an RBI single and after an infield hit by Nick Zaleski, Reed gave the Kats the comfort room they needed going into the ninth inning. He delivered a sharp single up the middle to bring home Riley and Mooney to put the Kats up five.
“I know that Southeastern Louisiana had a lot of fight in them at the end and we needed a big hit to give us a little more cushion,” Reed said. “I have had a couple of big hits for us this season and I felt like I had to come up big in that moment as well. I got the ball in play and found the hole up the middle.”
In addition to the clutch two-out hits the Kats picked up all night, they were also flashing some leather around the infield. The Kats turned a pair of double plays, including one to end the game. Wyatt also threw out two would be base stealers, and the Kats did not commit an error.
“We played solid defense,” Johnson said. “Braeden Riley made some outstanding back-hand plays. The double play has been big for us all week. We turned some good double plays and shut down their running game a little bit.”
Notes
Single season hit leader ? Braeden Riley collect a pair of hits Friday night to give him 104 this season. It moved him to the top of the Southland Conference and Sam Houston State all-time single season list passing former teammate Keith Stein who had 103 in 2007. The only other player in conference history to have 100 or more hits in a season is also a Bearkat, Todd Sebek (101) in 2008. UTSA's Michael Rocket fell a hit short after going 0-for-4 in Friday morning's elimination game against SLU. He finished the year with 99.
11 and counting ? The win Friday night against the Lions was the 11th consecutive for the Bearkats and Mark Johnson in SLC postseason play. They moved past Texas State (then known as Southwest Texas) on Wednesday afternoon. The Bobcats had won eight straight in 1999 and 2000.
