Third baseman Breanna Homer blasted a walk-off two-run double to give Sam Houston a 5-4 come-from-behind victory in the first game of Friday's doubleheader with defending Southland softball champion Northwestern State.
The win represents Sam Houston skipper Bob Brock's 1,100th career coaching victory in a 32-year career in Baylor, Texas A&M and with the Bearkats. Only seven other active NCAA Division I head coaches and 27 in NCAA softball history have tallied 1,100 wins.
A second inning two-run homer by shortstop Tiffany Castillo marked another Sam Houston milestone. Castillo's first home run of the 2016 season is the 24th of her career. She stands as the Bearkats' fourth-leading all-time homer leader. She needs two more to catch No. 3 Kim Damian who posted 27 home runs between 2010 and 2013.
The plays highlighted a doubleheader which saw Northwestern State come back and run-rule the Kats 13-4 in the nightcap as the Demons upped their season record to 19-11. They stand 4-4 in league play. Sam Houston drops to 7-20 for the year and 2-6 in the Southland. The Kats combined to post 14 hits in the doubleheader.
“It was great for the team to get a victory,” Brock said. “Our young women have been struggling some and it was good to see the effort in the first game. Breanna has added a lot of power to our offense and Tiffany got her first homer of the season. We struggled in the circle and defensively in the second game but Saturday is another day.”
Homer, who is a three-year letterwinner for the SHSU volleyball team, is playing her first season of softball since high school. She went 4-for-6 at the plate with two doubles and a homer run.
The Bearkats and the Demons will meet in the third and final game of the series at 3 p.m. at the Softball complex.
Castillo's home run tied the game at 2-2 after the Demons had posted one run in both the first and second frames. An RBI single by Homer in the bottom of the third inning gave the Kats their first lead. But the Demons bounced back in top of the fifth to go up 4-3 on a two-run homer by first baseman Brittney Jones.
A walk and a bunt single set the stage with Samantha Belongia and Emily Watson on base. The victory ended a four game losing streak for the Bearkats.
Lindsey McLeod was the winning pitcher for Sam Houston in relief, closing out the final two innings. Taylorr Atkinson was the starter, holding the Demons to five hits in the first five frames.
Home runs by Northwestern State's Kellye Kincannon and Natalie Landry powered the Demons to the victory in the second game. Northwestern State posted 10 hits including a double and a triple.
Homer went 2-for-2 in the nightcap with a double and her third home run of the year. Catcher Katie Doerer also had a double. McLeod took the loss in the circle.
