WACO, Texas – Ten days ago, Sam Houston State freshman Clayton Harp was penciled into the Bearkats starting lineup for the first time. As an encore to his 7-for-7 performance at Incarnate Word, the left fielder added another notch under his belt on Tuesday.
With Sam Houston trailing by a run with two outs and runners on second and third in the ninth, Harp lined a single to left, plating two runs to give the Bearkats a 6-5 comeback victory against Baylor.
“I really wasn't looking for anything specific,” Harp said. “I was just looking to put the ball in play. He came at me with a fastball but he left a slider up. We just wanted to get on base and work the counts. I have been seeing the ball really well lately.”
After the Bears (17-19) took a 5-4 lead on a solo home run in the seventh and shut the Bearkats (22-16) down in the eighth, Baylor brought in closer Troy Montemayor – the Big 12 Conference's leader in saves with eight – to pitch the ninth.
Shortstop Taylor Beene started the rally, taking a 2-2 pitch to left field for a leadoff single. Andrew Fregia, who recorded a pair of doubles on the game, popped up but Bryce Johnson kept the momentum going with a single to right to place runners on first and second.
Montemayor would follow up with a strikeout, putting the Bearkats down to their last out with Zach Smith at the plate. After popping up a foul ball that went in and out of the hands of third baseman Steven McLean, who nearly made the sensational over the shoulder catch, Smith capitalized on a second opportunity, reaching on an infield single and wide throw by the second baseman.
“The approach was to get the leadoff hitter on,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “We had a good break with the second baseman throwing the ball up the line but that's speed and hustle to force those mistakes. Harp came in and cleaned it up and that's what we do is pick each other up.”
On the mound, four Sam Houston relief pitchers tossed scoreless frames including eventual winner Greg Belton (2-1), who struck out three and walked one without allowing a hit in the final 1 1-3 innings. Meanwhile, Dakota Mills continued his recent surge, tossing two innings of relief, allowing two hits and a walk while fanning a pair in relief of senior starter Spence Rahm.
“I thought the pitchers did a great job tonight of attacking the strike zone,” Deggs said. “We punched them out 12 times tonight. That's 12 outs we didn't have to get on our own. Manning is really evolving into what he can become. It's nothing but positives. We introduced Mills and Cannon into the mix tonight in a Big 12 environment.”
Rahm went three innings, permitting five hits and four runs (three earned) while striking out five and walking another. Manning, a fellow senior, added a lights out performance, holding the Bears hitless in 1 1-3 innings highlighted by a key inning-ending double-play in the seventh.
The Bearkats jumped on the Bears early, taking a 1-0 lead on a Jaxxon Grisham bases-loaded walk while sending seven hitters to the plate in the opening frame. After the Bears countered for one run each in the first and second to take a 2-1 lead, Sam Houston answered in the third.
Smith led off with a single up the middle and advanced to third on a double from Harp. The Bearkats proceeded to manufacture runs as Lance Miles and Grisham each notched RBI groundouts to shortstop. With Robie Rojas, who caught one runner stealing and picked off another, and Taylor Beene aboard via an error and hit by pitch, Fregia belted a ball down the left field line to make it 4-2.
“Defensively, Robie is our MVP tonight,” Deggs said. “He staved off a couple big innings with his arm tonight, not to mention the strikes he gets from presentation with the balls he blocks. He is a tremendous asset for us.”
Baylor tied the game with a pair of runs in the fourth as the game stood knotted at 4-4 over the next 2 ½ innings. Behind Harp's ninth-inning heroics, Sam Houston won its fourth straight against the Bears in Waco while notching the squad's 17th win in the last 22 games.
“I wouldn't believe you,” Harp said when asked if he could have forecasted producing a winning hit against a Big 12 opponent at this time last year. “It's unbelievable where it's all come from. I've gotten the chances and just taking the opportunity and going at it.”
