CORPUS CHRISTI -- The Bearkats dropped two more heartbreakers as they were swept in a doubleheader against Purdue Saturday at Whataburger Field in the Kleberg Bank College Classic.
For the second straight game Sam Houston was beaten on a walk-off. Purdue used a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 12th inning to top Sam Houston 4-3 in the first game of the doubleheader.
In the second game the Kats allowed three runs in the top of the ninth to lose 9-7.
Sam Houston will play one final game in the tournament, against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
After 14 straight scoreless innings to start the weekend, designated hitter Dylan Ebbs and third baseman Jake MacWilliam got the Bearkats on the board in the sixth inning of game one. Center fielder Colt Atwood led off the inning with a single and first baseman Spence Rahm walked with one out.
PU decided to go to the bullpen and Ebbs greeted reliever Shane Bryant with an RBI single up the middle. MacWilliam followed with an RBI single to center field to make the score 2-0.
Purdue got a run back in the next half inning. The Boilermakers started the frame with a walk and a double to put runners at second and third with no outs. After a strikeout, Purdue broke up the shutout with a sacrifice fly to center field.
The Boilermakers tied the game up 2-2 in the seventh after reliever Juan Cortina allowed a one-out double to score on a single to left center. Alex Bisacca came out of the bullpen and gave up a single to load the bases but Miles Manning made a great play at shortstop to get out of the inning and keep the score 2-2.
Bisacca would then retire the next 13 batters he would face. He tossed 4 1/3 innings and allowed just one hit. He struck out two batters and didn't issue any walks.
In the second game the Kats jumped out to a 7-2 lead before allowing three runs in the fifth, one run in the sixth and three more in the ninth.
Sam Houston went right to work in the second game of the double header. Right fielder Travis Lee was hit by the first pitch of the game, moved to second on a groundout and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Bryce Johnson dropped a bloop single into shallow right field to score Lee from third base.
The Kats kept the inning going with two outs. After first baseman Spence Rahm lined a single into right-center field, third baseman Ryan Brinley smoked a liner into center field that scored Johnson from third to make the score 2-0.
Shortstop Miles Manning walked to lead off the bottom of the second and was sacrificed to second base. The junior transfer then stole third base and scored on an infield single by Colt Atwood to make it 3-0.
Designated hitter Hayden Simerly walked to lead off the bottom of the third and went to second on a balk. With two outs catcher Collin Yelich legged out an infield single and the throw went wild, allowing Simerly to score from second base.
The Boilermakers appeared to be out of the inning but the center fielder dropped a pop up that would have been the third out of the inning. Two Bearkat runs came in to score on the play and extend the lead to 6-2.
Johnson walked to lead off the fourth, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on a throwing error. He then scored on a wild pitch for the Bearkats seventh run of the game.
Seth Holbert tossed two scoreless innings of relief to keep the Bearkats in front of the Boilermakers.
Ryan Brinley took the loss in both games. He allowed runs in relief for the first time in his SHSU career.
