Sam Houston takes on Horns in Austin Tuesday
4/13/2015 3:52:00 PM | Baseball
Sam Houston takes on a University of Texas baseball team that is trying to get back to winning ways Tuesday at 6 p.m. when the Bearkats and the Longhorns battle at historic Disch-Falk Field in Austin.
The Horns have won only two of their last 11 games to drop to 19-17 after ranking in the top 25 for much of the spring. Texas dropped a Big 12 series to Oklahoma this past weekend, falling 3-2 in the final game Sunday.
On the other hand, Sam Houston enters Tuesday's game boasting its longest winning streak of the season with five consecutive victories. The Kats defeated Northwestern State in a non-conference home game last Tuesday and took three from Incarnate Word by scores of 9-2, 7-5 and 5-0 at Don Sanders this weekend.
Senior right-hander Alex Bisacca will be making his first start of the season in Austin Tuesday after making 16 appearances in relief this year. He brings a 3-1 record and 2.72 earned run average into the contest. Josh Sawyer will be the Longhorns' starter. He has started seven times and appeared in two other games, posting a 2-1 mark and 4.55 ERA.
Freshman outfielder Bryce Johnson had a hot bat for the Bearkats last week, going 7-for-15 at the plate for a .467 average. Johnson totaled five RBIs including three in the UIW series.
First baseman Spence Rahm, who sports a .327 batting average this season, ranks third in the Southland Conference in total hits with 49. Rahm has nine doubles and five home runs this year.
Ben Johnson is the top hitter for the Longhorns with a .348 average including seven doubles, seven triples and three home runs.
Texas brings a 19-17 season record in the tilt. The Horns are 14-6 this year on their home field. Sam Houston evened its season mark at 19-19 with the series sweep against the Cardinals.
Sam Houston stands in sixth place in a tight Southland Conference race with an 11-7 record (.611 winning percentage). Southeastern Louisiana leads the league race with an 11-4 mark (.733 winning percentage). The Kats return to Southland action following the game at UT when they travel to take on Abilene Christian in Abilene this weekend.
