HUNTSVILLE – With an eerily similar feel to Saturday's game in which Northwestern State held on to a one-run lead entering the eighth, Sam Houston State baseball positioned itself to ensure the inning mattered once again.
A pair of balks from NSU starter Evan Tidwell in the frame and aggressive base running by the Bearkats helped solidify a 2-1 Sam Houston win and Southland Conference series victory in the rubber match at Don Sanders Stadium on Sunday.
“It was the same feeling,” center fielder Bryce Johnson said. “We knew we could come back. We did it that night so why not today? That inning, we got guys on, competed at the plate and took advantage of other people's mistakes.”
Matt Alford's double gave the Demons (9-10 overall, 3-3 SLC) a 1-0 lead in the seventh but the Kats bounced back one inning later. Freshman first baseman Jaxxon Grisham, who finished the series with a team-leading .500 average (3-for-6), recorded a single to right and after several pickoff throws to first, advanced to third on an error by Tidwell.
With Robie Rojas at the plate, Tidwell wound up for the delivery but fell off the mound, holding on to the ball to plate Grisham's tying run on the balk. The Bearkats (8-12 overall, 3-3 SLC) catcher reached second on an errant throw from shortstop Matt Alford and took third on a fly out from Taylor Beene. Then, with Johnson to hit, another Tidwell balk, this time making a motion to the plate and first, scored Rojas.
“It was pretty miraculous the way that things unfolded,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “(Tidwell) pitched a whale of a game. He did what you've got to do. He filled up the strike zone. I haven't seen anything like that.”
For a third straight day, Sam Houston starting pitching was dominant as freshman Riley Gossett tossed seven innings, scattering five hits and permitting one earned run. The right-hander struck out three and did not allow a walk. On the weekend, the starting rotation of Sam Odom, Heath Donica and Gossett pitched 23 innings, allowing just 11 hits and two earned runs.
“It all starts on the mound,” Deggs said. “Riley Gossett gave us an incredible effort and has done that every time out so far. For being just a freshman, he has a great amount of poise, toughness and attack. On a day like today with the wind in your face, he pounded the strike zone.”
Gossett, who drew the no decision, lowered his ERA to 1.88 in 28 2-3 innings and did so by battling winds gusting as high as 25 miles per hour, positioning Sam Houston to claim a late comeback victory for a second straight day.
“It was very windy so it kind of blurred my vision a little but I was trying to get inside on the hitters,” Gossett said. “The fastball was working the best. I commanded the slider as well. There is a lot of pressure on my shoulders but we didn't get crushed. We stayed on the game and tried to control what we could.”
Sam Houston's Hayden Nixon (1-2) pitched the final two frames to earn the win. The left-hander allowed just one hit, coming to the first batter he faced, while fanning another, something the bullpen was unable to do in Friday night's gut-wrenching five-run comeback win for the Demons.
“I was super proud of Hayden Nixon coming in to close it out,” Deggs said. “That was a big spot for us. It was good to see him be a senior and step up. I know he hasn't had the year he's wanted so far but there is a lot of year left. It was good to see someone come out of the pen and get it done.”
Meanwhile, for the second time on the weekend, Sam Houston played error-free baseball. Offensively, the Kats pressured the Demons, using a quick lineup to be aggressive on the base paths and challenge a Demons defense that entered the weekend with the league lead in double plays turned.
“We can really run,” Deggs said. “We played a lot of speed this weekend and set the tone for that in the first game. They were real cognizant of the way we can run and it was top to bottom. They hurried up on a play and it ended up being big for us.”
The Bearkats turn their attention to Prairie View A&M on Tuesday, closing out a brief four-game home stand at 6:30 p.m. from Don Sanders Stadium. Sam Houston will visit Nicholls next weekend in Southland action hoping to continue its strong surge on the mound and climb into the conference win column.
“We're 3-3 in the league and could very easily be 6-0,” Deggs said. “Our six starts in the league have been as good as anybody. We've got three rock-solid guys that are going to fill up the zone with three pitches and attack. I thought a big thing on this weekend too was that we played really good defense.”
