WICHITA, Kan. – By all accounts, trailing Wichita State 9-1 entering the sixth inning, Sam Houston State baseball should have been down and out. Maybe a largely youthful offense that has at times struggled to find its identity just did not know any better.
Sam Houston roared back, scoring in the game's final four innings, sparked by a six-run sixth inning and topped off by a five-run ninth to defeat the Shockers 15-11 at Eck Stadium in the series opener on a Friday afternoon turned early evening.
“We have a bunch of scrappers,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “They are the same guys every day. They show up and play hard. They are pretty much impervious to the scoreboard most of the time. What they did was they just kept playing.”
After coming within two at 10-8, the Shockers (3-6) offered some help of their own as Bryce Johnson and Riley McKnight scored on consecutive passed balls to even the score in the eighth. However, one out into the bottom half, a Ryan Tinkahm home run made it 11-10 Shockers, setting the stage for the ninth.
“We made some moves when we were down 9-1 and I am really proud of how the young guys came in and played,” Deggs said. “They absolutely got after it today which is good to see. All of this is valuable experience. They are our backbone moving forward.”
Sam Houston's (4-7) Hunter Hearn, who impressed with a 4-for-5 performance, took a first-pitch double to right center to begin the ninth. He advanced to second on a passed ball and eventually to third with consecutive walks to Spence Rahm and Jordan Cannon that loaded the bases.
“I can't say enough about our young guys, Hunter Hearn in particular,” Deggs said. “He matches up very well against good pitching because he is so direct to the baseball. He has a lot of confidence right now at the plate. To see him doing what he's doing against the caliber of competition is promising because he's only going to get better.”
That set the stage for Andrew Fregia, who entered the lineup as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning. On a 2-0 count, the freshman drove a ball to right center for a double, plating Rahm and pinch runner Evian Benjamin for a 12-11 lead.
“It just shows no matter what the score is, we practice what we preach,” Fregia said. “Even if you're down, you're never out of the fight. When there is a good pitcher on the mound, it takes everyone to get him off the mound. We used everyone on the team tonight.”
Then, in consecutive at-bats looking to extend the lead, Riley McKnight and Matt Broadbent each chopped balls to third base. On each occasion, Chase Rader was unsuccessful in throwing out the runners at the plate and the lead was extended to 14-11. Lance Miles made it 15-11 on a single to left.
“I didn't think four runs was enough,” Deggs said “Fortunate for us, it worked out. They tried their best to make something happen in the bottom of the inning.”
Sam Houston's sixth inning got started with a one-out Josh Biles hit by pitch. From there, the hit parade began. Three straight hits from Hearn, Rahm and Jordan Cannon made it 9-3. A Johnson single up the middle plated Hearn and Nate VanDyke plated another on a full-count walk. Matt Broadbent took a single up the middle one hitter later, scoring Johnson and Cannon making it 9-7.
The Bearkats 17-hit barrage was a season high, more impressively, coming from 13 different hitters. Johnson (2-for-6) and Rahm (2-for-4) joined Hearn with multi-hit performances. Johnson accounted for three runs while Cannon, Rahm, Hearn and McKnight each scored two.
“Everybody that we have, you know when they come up and get their chance they're going to do a good job,” Fregia said. “They are going to battle their butt off trying to get it done.”
Starter Sam Odom tossed 4 1-3 innings, allowing 10 hits and eight earned runs against a Shockers offense that entered play fourth nationally in doubles and 39th in on base percentage. In relief, Austin Woyt pitched three innings, allowing seven hits and three runs.
Reliever Miles Manning (2-1) picked up the victory pitching a scoreless 1-3 innings. Hayden Nixon also added a scoreless 1-3 innings and Rahm headed to the mound to close it out, allowing a hit and a walk in the ninth while striking out another.
Wichita State reliever John Hayes was saddled with the loss. Starter Sam Tewes was masterful early but the Bearkats were able to work his pitch count and eventually get to the bullpen. Sam Houston was successful in scoring on all six Wichita State relievers.
The Bearkats 15 runs were the most since tallying as many in a 15-1 victory against UTSA on April 1, 2012. The squads 17 hits were a season high and the most since tallying 20 on May 9, 2015 at Houston Baptist.
“Our record is deceiving because we are the same group every day,” Deggs said. “We're just really inexperienced and really young. They play hungry. I am super proud of them. They are never out of it. That is a really good team we beat.”
The two clubs return for game two of the three-game set on Saturday at 5 p.m. Heath Donica (1-0, 5.91 ERA) is projected to make the start on the mound for Sam Houston and will be opposed by the Shockers' Willie Schwanke (1-1, 9.00 ERA).
