HUNTSVILLE – On Saturday against No. 25 Oklahoma, the Sam Houston State baseball program started six players, including right-handed starter Heath Donica, who are competing at the Division I level in their first season. The results would make you believe otherwise.
The Bearkats pounded the strike zone, allowing just two Sooners' (3-4) hits while freshmen Andrew Fregia and Riley McKnight combined to go 5-for-5 at the plate including four runs and a pair of RBIs in a 7-2 victory in front of 1,263 fans at Don Sanders Stadium.
“McKnight and Fregia are both phenomenal athletes,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “To have those guys score four runs today and have five hits between them and get going against an opponent the caliber of Oklahoma is huge for confidence. Those two guys make our lineup go. They are potential two and three-hole hitters for us.”
Making his first start on the mound, Donica, who spent last season at Navarro Junior College, earned the win, tossing five effective innings, allowing two hits, a pair of earned runs and as many strikeouts and walks while manipulating his was through a strong Sooners lineup.
“We talked about all week throwing strike one, getting ahead of their batters and locating fastballs,” Donica said. “After that, I thought the changeup was good to go to against their lefties and against the right handers the slider was working. I had great defense behind me and I was able to sink it in there and get ground balls throughout.”
The Bearkats, who tallied their third straight double-digit hit game with 10 total, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second. Taylor Beene crushed a one-out double to left center while Lance Miles and Andrew Fregia each worked walks to set up the first big hit from McKnight, a liner through the right side for a 1-0 lead.
“We pulled it together as a team at all levels,” McKnight said. “We had a lot of leadoff hits and guys getting on early. We bunted the ball well which is in our game plans. It really boosted my confidence to get some balls in play. I think now we're settled in.”
Bryce Johnson brought home the next run on a fielder's choice and plated the final run of the frame helped by a catcher's interference call. Two innings later, Johnson pushed his hit streak to 20 games, ranking fifth in program history, on a bunt single, moving McKnight to second.
Pinch hitter Zach Smith proceed to take a first-pitch ball off the wall in right center field to plate the duo and give Sam Houston a 5-0 lead. Matt Broadbent followed up by adding his team-leading eighth RBI on a fielder's choice.
The Sooners countered with a one-out, two-run home run from second baseman Kyle Mendenhall in the fifth but Donica was effective in recording a pair of groundball outs to limit the damage and Sam Houston added one back in the bottom half helped by a Fregia single and stolen base and capped on McKnight's single to left.
Oklahoma threated again in the seventh, opening with a pair of walks against reliever Cody Brown, who came on an inning earlier, making way for freshman Jordan Cannon. After making a fielder's choice out and notching a fly out to center, the Bearkats caught the Sooners sleeping, pulling the hidden ball trick against Domenic DeRenzo on second.
“That's a huge spot in the game,” Deggs said. “They had first and second and we were up five. We're constantly looking for free outs. It's something they've pulled off on me in practice. It got us off the field in a huge spot where you could see some of the momentum starting to shift. To get out of that unscathed that set the tone for the next three innings.”
Oklahoma starter Austin Kerns (1-1) lasted just two innings, allowing three runs, one earned, and a walk. Reliever Jake Irvin tossed three innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs while Austin Hensen tossed the final three, keeping Sam Houston off the board while allowing three hits.
Cannon picked up his first save, tossing three innings while holding the Sooners hitless and fanning three. In the win, Sam Houston played error-free baseball for the first time this season, something Deggs believe will be more common place as the season moves on.
“We're a good defensive team,” Deggs said. “For whatever reason we got off to a slow start. It's a mental game and repetition and good solid practice cures a lot of that. It's just a matter of us putting the three phases together. Right now, that's what you see us doing.”
Sam Houston goes for the sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Sooners. Chairback seats are available for $12 and general admission is priced at $10 by calling (936) 294-1729 or visiting GoBearkats.com.
