HUNTSVILLE – On Wednesday night against Rice, Sam Houston baseball looked to end its seven-game home stand on a positive note. Instead, it was déjà vu for the Bearkats, who walked 10 batters and fell 8-3 to the Owls at Don Sanders Stadium.
Rice (4-5) sent all nine hitters to the plate in the opening frame, taking a 5-0 lead on four straight walks and a three-run two-out double from Dominic DiCaprio. The bases clearing hit followed the Kats fifth free pass of the frame and marked the second straight night Sam Houston has fallen behind early.
“We gave up 11 free bases on the night,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “I said it last week, I don't care who you play, you give up 11 free passes and you'll be on the wrong side of the score. That is a tough way to start the ball game and it was all self-inflicted. You take that away and we are playing for the ball game in that last inning.”
Making his second career start, Sam Houston starter Jordan Church (0-1) recorded just one out, allowing four earned runs, and walking four, before being pulled for reliever Colin Cameron. The freshman pitched 1 1-3 innings, allowing two hits and one run while walking three.
Sam Houston climbed back in the second with some help from the Owls. Spence Rahm worked a one-out walk and advanced to second on a single from Josh Biles, who was making his second start and first as the designated hitter.
Jordan Cannon, making his first start behind the plate, reached on an error by the Owls first baseman, plating Rahm. Hunter Hearn, making his second start, capitalized with a sacrifice fly to right, using his third RBI of the season to score Biles and cut the deficit to 5-2.
Mistakes continued to prove costly for the Bearkats in the fourth. After a walk to Ryan Chandler to put runners on first and second with one out, the Owls' Ford Proctor sent a fly ball to center but the relay throw to the plate sailed high allowing leadoff hitter Charlie Warren to score.
The damage continued in the fifth when the Owls led off the frame with a single and the ninth walk of the day. No. 9 hitter Kendal Jefferies brought in a run with a single to right field and Warren added to his successful day with a sacrifice fly, making it 8-2.
Senior Zach Smith belted the Bearkats second home run of the season, taking the third of his career inside the left field foul pole. The solo homer was his first since April 10, 2015 against Incarnate Word. Meanwhile, playing in right field for the first time this season, Hearn added a magnificent diving catch, laying out for a ball to rob Cody Stobb of a hit.
“I thought we battled at the plate and hit a lot of balls hard tonight,” Deggs said. “A lot of 'at 'em' balls off some good arms. We played eight freshmen tonight and I was pretty proud of several of them.”
A pair of Sam Houston players recorded their first hits of the season. Cannon, a freshman who has spent time as a reliever, tallied his first career knock in a Sam Houston uniform, doing so with a single to right in the seventh. Nate VanDyke collected his fourth career base hit with a liner to left.
“These are some very talented, tough, gritty freshmen,” Deggs said. “One thing about the schedule is we have had to set a lineup and go with it. It's not like we're playing cupcakes and have an eight or 10 run lead every night. I said we were going to play some different guys tonight and they did well. We need competition at every single spot.”
The Kats received some quality work out of the bullpen, including scoreless appearances in 2-3 innings from Dane Lovejoy and Austin Woyt as well as Hayden Nixon and Miles Manning, who last one inning and 1 2-3 innings respectively. Cody Brown also tossed 3 1-3 innings following Cameron, helping stabilize the middle innings, despite a line that including four hits and two earned runs.
Rice starter Jackson Parthasarathy (1-0) earned his first career win. The freshman right-handed pitcher tossed 5 2-3 innings, limiting the Kats to three hits and only the two unearned runs. He also struck out one and walked another.
Sam Houston looks to regroup with three games at Wichita State this weekend. Friday's 3 p.m. game and Sunday's 1 p.m. start will be broadcast on ESPN3. Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Eck Stadium. Fans are encouraged to follow @BearkatBaseball on Twitter for the latest weekend updates.
“They are going to continue to work and get better,” Deggs said. “They don't crown the champion at the beginning of the season. I've had my tail whipped before and I know what it is to respond. That's what this group will do.”
“We're in the middle of a schedule that is unforgiving. It's one of the top schedules of the country. We've played 10 games. I plan on playing 10 games six or seven times. This group will continue to stay together, I promise you that.”
