SAN MARCOS -- Colt Atwood had a second four-hit game of the season to lead Sam Houston State to a 10-0 win over Texas State Tuesday night. The Bearkats outhit the Bobcats 15-5 and scored runs in six different innings.
“I thought Dylan Ebbs went out and set a great tone for us. It was nice to be able to come out and throw the first lick offensively,” Bearkat head coach Matt Deggs said. “We came out with great energy and ready to go. It was cold but we embrace those conditions. This team is still a work in progress and we've got to continue to clean some things up.”
Dylan Ebbs made his first start of the season and tossed four scoreless innings. After needing just six pitches to get out of the first inning, the sophomore right-hander had to work out of jams in the second, third and fourth innings.
Atwood finished 4-for-6 with two runs scored and one driven in. The senior from Katy had a special moment in the top of the fourth inning, facing his younger brother Quinn Atwood and hitting a run-scoring single to right field off of him. Atwood then scored on a single by Bryce Johnson for the fifth run of the game.
“Not a lot of people get to do that and it was a pretty neat experience,” Atwood said of batting against his brother. “I love him. I'm glad he gave me one down the middle with an 0-2 count, that was nice of him. It was fun. I'm sure I'll give him a call later and talk about it.”
First baseman Spence Rahm got the scoring started in the first inning with a hard-hit two-RBI single into left field. Atwood and Johnson each hit one-out singles in front of Rahm.
The Kats extended the lead to 3-0 in the second inning after three straight one-out singles by outfielders Travis Lee, Atwood and Johnson. Lee was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Johnson was
Sam Houston added another run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI ground out by second baseman Ryan Farney, scoring Rahm from third base. Rahm finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored.
The Bearkats' biggest inning was the sixth, when they scored three runs. Shortstop Miles Manning led off the sixth with his first hit of the season, a single to center fielder. Lee followed with a well-placed bunt single.
Atwood singled up the middle to drive in Manning and Johnson, who finished 3-for-4, drove in his third run of the game with a fielder's choice groundout that scored Lee. Wyatt Powell came in to pinch run for Johnson and scored on a passed ball.
SHSU added a 10th run in the top of the ninth inning when Dalton Perry scored Nate VanDyke on a fielder's choice ground out.
Reliever Greg Belton made his first appearance of the season and tossed two scoreless innings. In his first inning he was able to work out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam but got two strikeouts to get out it.
Seth Holbert and Hayden Nixon each pitched a scoreless innings to close out the ballgame.
The shutout is the first since April 12 of last season against Abilene Christian at Don Sanders Stadium. It's the first road shutout since May 12, 2013 at Southeastern Louisiana.
This weekend the Bearkats will return to Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi for the first time since winning the 2009 Southland Conference Tournament. In addition to the Bearkats and host A&M-Corpus Christi, the field will have teams from the Southeastern Conference and the Big 10 Conference.
The Kats will open with Missouri Friday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. and will play a doubleheader with Purdue Saturday starting at 11 a.m. The Kats will finish against the Islanders Sunday at 3 p.m.
