With the winning run just 90 feet away and only one out, all Braeden Riley had to do was send a pitch deep into the outfield and the Bearkats could go home happy.
Riley drilled a pitch down the right-field line and senior second baseman Ryan Mooney trotted home for a 3-2 walk-off win over Lamar on Saturday afternoon.
"It feels good. I want to say that the first and second (walk-off hits) of my career happened in the last two weeks. It's been nice," said Riley, a four-year letterman who had another walk-off single in the 10th inning against Baylor on April 5.
"With a guy like (Machon Trimm) on the mound, you've just got to see it. He was throwing changeups. Everything was soft and away. You've just got to simplify your thought process and just say, 'Hey, let it get deep into the outfield and not roll over into a double play.'
"Really it was a chance to succeed. There's not a lot of failure there."
The game-winner was set into motion by Mooney, who led off the bottom of the ninth inning. Mooney hit a roller to the right side of shortstop Aaron Buchanan and reached first safely, just beating Buchanan's throw.
After missing on a bunt attempt, designated hitter Chris Andreas ripped a liner through Trimm's legs. Mooney then advanced to third following center fielder Mark Hudson's deep fly out to right field.
"(Mooney and Andreas), those two guys getting on was big," Sam Houston head coach Mark Johnson said. "It was the meat of our order. ... It was huge and Braeden stepped up big for us."
The Bearkats (10-7 in Southland Conference play, 25-12 overall) fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, but got back to within a run as Andreas doubled in a run off the right-center field wall in the third inning.
Sam Houston squandered a chance to jump ahead with the bases loaded in the fourth as Olson ended the inning with a fly out to right field.
The Kats loaded the bases again the next inning, but this time, were able to bring a run home and tie the game at 2 as reliever Kane Benoit balked before throwing his first pitch.
"We knew runs were going to come. Our pitching staff's keeping us in the game. We just needed to keep having good at-bats and staying with the plan that's given to us every day," said Riley, who moved within four hits of tying Terry Pirtle (271) atop Sam Houston's all-time hit list.
Lamar (9-8, 22-15) took the early lead in the opening inning as starting pitcher Matt Shelton struggled to get into a rhythm.
The senior right-hander hit a batter, then gave up a walk after Buchanan led off the game with a bunt single down the first-base line. Lamar first baseman Wade Mathis drove in the game's first run with a single through the right side of the infield.
The Cardinals scored again in the inning as catcher Joey Latiuppe grounded into a double play.
"I kind of struggled getting into a groove in the beginning," Shelton said. "Once I got it in the second inning, I just ran with it as long as I could all the way, I guess, until the eighth. So it felt real good after the first inning."
From that point on, Shelton was strong on the mound, keeping Lamar from getting into scoring position until the eighth inning when he hit three batters.
From the fourth inning until the end of the seventh, Shelton also had a stretch where he retired 10 batters in a row, including a string of four straight strikeouts.
"Even after just one bad punch, you have to have a short memory, so even stuff like that shouldn't bother you," Shelton said. "You just got to go out there and throw your stuff and see what happens."
Bearkats reliever Michael Burchett (4-1) got out of the eighth-inning jam after coaxing right fielder Jeff Abt to fly out in foul territory.
In the ninth, after striking out the first two batters, Burchett hit a batter and then gave up a single. With their first chance to push across a run since the opening frame, the Cardinals came up empty as pinch hitter Andrew Dewey flew out to end the inning.
"Matt did a good job," Johnson said. "He's got good pitches. He seems to get out of jams. That doesn't bother him with men on base. Burch came in and shut the thing down. It was good."
With the win, Sam Houston secured its fourth consecutive series win and moved into a third-place tie with Southeastern Louisiana, two games behind conference co-leaders, Texas State and Stephen F. Austin.
"Every games means the same. They're all important," Riley added. "It doesn't matter if you beat Central Arkansas or Texas State, you're either moving up or moving down. But it is nice to play the team that's right in front of you and pass them. We want to move forward."
The Bearkats go for the series sweep today as freshman Caleb Smith gets the start on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
