San Marcos - No. 8 seed Nicholls took advantage of two Bearkat fielding errors and strong pitching performance by Patrick Shreve to hand No. 5 seed Sam Houston State its first loss in Southland Conference post-season play since 2000 with a 4-1 Colonel victory over the Kats Thursday night.
Left fielder Jeremy Hill provided the winning margin with a two-run single to to break open a scoreless game in the top of the third inning. The shot to right center scored second baseman Philip Lyons and center fielder Bear Comer who got on board on a single and a walk, respectively. Shortstop Chase Jaramillo, who also singled, scored on an infield error to put the Colonels up 3-0.
"I thought thier lefty did a great job against us," SHSU head coach Mark Johnson said. "We went up there with an aggressive apporach and when a guy is throwing like he was it just plays right into his hands."
Left fielder Luke Plucheck, who produced three of the Bearkats' seven hits, scored Sam Houston's only run in the bottom of the third. Plucheck doubled, then reached third on an error by the right fielder, then came home on a ground out by third baseman Kevin Miller.
Nicholls (28-27) added an insurance run in the fifth inning about Comer walked, stole second then scored on a two-out Bearkat error.
Sam Houston (35-23) will now face No. 1 seed Texas State in a 12 noon elimination game Friday. The Bobcats, who were upset by Nicholls 6-0 in the first round Wednesday night, defeated No. 4 seed Southeastern Louisiana 5-2 Friday afternoon. Brent Powers will get the start for the Kats.
"Brent is a lefty with some tournament experience so I like our chances with him out on the hill," Johnson said. "We haven't had to get into our bullpen yet in two games, so I think that favors us. We have the depth to go out and get two tomorrow and then two on Saturday."
The loss marked the first in Southland tournament play for retiring Sam Houston head coach Mark Johnson, ending a 13-game winning streak for the Kats - the longest in the 19-year history of Southland post-season.
Sam Houston's last loss in the tournament came at the hands of Northwestern State in a 3-1 loser's bracket game in Monroe, La., in 2000. The Bearkats did not earn another berth in the tournament until 2007, Johnson's first year as Sam Houston head coach. The former Texas A&M head coach directed SHSU to 4-0 performances to win the 2007, 2008 and 2009 events.
Matt Shelton (7-3) tossed a complete game, giving up 11 hits while striking out seven Colonel batters.
"Matt threw a great game for us, going the distance," Johnson said. "We just made a few mistakes behind him and them couldn't put any runs on the board."
