The Matt Deggs era of Sam Houston baseball got started with an 8-5 win over Wichita State in front of the largest Opening Night crowd in Don Sanders Stadium history of 1,257. The series will continue Saturday at 3 p.m. and wraps up Sunday at 1 p.m.
“I thought we came out and played extremely hard,” SHSU head coach Matt Deggs said. “(Andrew) Godail went out and competed really well and gave us a chance. They have a really good ball club and their starting pitcher (Sam) Tewes is as good as there is in the country. That was really special and the way we did it with this group of boys. It was fun and a great win.”
Senior outfielder Colt Atwood was 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Atwood never had more than three hits in a game last season. His RBI-single in the bottom of the eighth capped off a four-run eighth inning that sealed the win.
“Not only is (Colt Atwood) our leader, he is a really good player. He's a tough out at the plate and he can really run. He led the way and that's what I expected him to do tonight. I thought it was a great effort by all of our hitters tonight. They played well together. That's the key to taking down an arm like that,” said Deggs.
In a back-and-forth game that saw the lead change three times, the Bearkats trailed 5-4 going into the eighth inning.
Junior first baseman Spence Rahm worked a walk to start the bottom of the eighth and Zach Smith came in to pinch run for him. Senior shortstop Jake MacWilliam singled through the left side of the infield and Smith advanced to third.
Transfer catcher Colin Yelich, making his first start for the Bearkats, chopped a ball up the middle that the Shocker second baseman couldn't field, allowing Smith to score and tie the game 5-5.
Senior second baseman Ryan Farney came through with the go-ahead hit up the middle, driving in MacWilliam, to make the score 6-5.
After Yellich came around to score on a wild pitch, Atwood delivered the dagger with a base-hit to right field that scored Farney and extended the lead to 8-5.
Ryan Brinley, who started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a double, came in to close the game. He pitched a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts for his first save of the season.
“Anything I can do to help out the team, I'll do it,” Brinley said. “This was a dog fight and they have a great ball club. We never think we're out of the fight and we're always going to keep coming at you. It's always nice to win on Opening Night.”
Senior reliever Alex Bisacca pitched a perfect eighth inning and picked up the win on the mound.
Andrew Godail, who started and pitched 4 2/3 innings, fanned the first batter of the season on four pitches to get the game started. The senior lefthander finished with five strikeouts and two walks. He allowed two runs on five hits.
Wichita State jumped ahead 1-0 in the second inning. Shocker designated hitter Ryan Tinkham singled sharply to lead off the second inning before swiping second base. Godail was nearly out of the frame but MacWilliam made an errant throw that would have ended the inning. Instead Tinkham was able to score on the play and give the Shockers a 1-0 lead.
The Shockers would double their lead with two outs in the third inning. Left fielder Daniel Kihle hit an infield single, advanced to second on a passed ball and moved to third on a wild pitch. He scored when Tinkham singled just out of the reach of Lee in right field.
Sam Houston got on the board in the fourth when Atwood and Johnson each singled into right field to start the frame. Both runners advanced on a bad pickoff throw by the pitcher Sam Tewes. Senior designated hitter Hayden Simerly drove Atwood in with a groundout to first base.
The Bearkat narrowly escaped giving up more runs in the fifth inning when the Shockers got runners to second and third with two outs, prompting a pitching change. The Kats turned to junior Juan Cortina who got a strike out on three pitches to end the threat.
SHSU grabbed its first lead of the game in the fifth inning. With one out Yellich singled into right field. Farney then reached on an infield single on a hit-and-run play. Lee also singled to left field to load the bases with one out.
For the second time in the game the Shockers' pitcher threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt, but this time it allowed Yelich to score from third and tie the game 2-2.
Atwood gave the Bearkats their first lead of the game, 3-2, when he singled to right field to score Farney.
The Bearkats improved to 6-4 in home openers at Don Sanders Stadium. The previous attendance record for a home opener was 1,145 against Rice in 2008.
