The Sam Houston State baseball team took a thump in Central Arkansas's three-run, four-hit first inning but the Bearkats had a knockout punch waiting to be thrown.
Sam Houston starter Heath Donica, combined with the bullpen, allowed just one hit the final eight innings, while Andrew Fregia added a three-run home run to help the Bearkats to a 6-3 win in the middle game against Central Arkansas on Saturday at Don Sanders Stadium.
“Nobody knows who the winner is going to be in the first inning,” Fregia said. “We know if you put a three spot and throw a punch we will throw up a haymaker. Everybody in the dugout knows it's going to come. You just have to keep swinging the barrel and keep hitting the ball hard.”
In the fourth inning, with Lance Miles and Taylor Beene reaching on a two-out walk and single to right field respectively, Fregia belted an 0-2 pitch over the right-field fence to tie the game at three. The homer was his second in six games while providing new life to the Bearkats offense.
Two inning later, Hunter Hearn led off by reaching on an error by the shortstop and advanced to second on a pinch-hit single from Matt Broadbent. After Miles executed a sacrifice bunt on an 0-2 count, moving the runners to second and third, Taylor Beene singled to right, giving Sam Houston a 4-3 edge.
Sam Houston (15-13 overall, 8-3 SLC) added two more insurance runs in the seventh with another key Broadbent hit, this time a bases-loaded two-run double down the left field line, scoring Riley McKnight who led off with a single and Robie Rojas who doubled to right center.
“He's watched for a game or so and we brought him off the bench today,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “He gave us a huge spark today. That was gigantic. We are playing extremely hard and have a lot of confidence. We just have to come out tomorrow, because they will be ready to play.”
Rojas, who finished 1 for 4, was instrumental behind the plate, catching two Central Arkansas (12-13 overall, 5-6 SLC) runners stealing and throwing out another taking a big lead off first base. The junior has caught 13 runners stealing, tied for second in the league, and picked off another pair.
On the mound, Donica (4-2) notched four 1-2-3 frames during his final five innings. From the second inning on, the right-hander allowed just two Bears baserunners, tossing a combined seven innings, allowing five hits and three runs while walking one and striking out four.
“Right when I got here, we went through a hell of a fall,” Donica said. “I got put on my butt there in the first inning. I got punched in the mouth. You can either fold or respond. I think being here and learning the pack mentality, to be a mentality tough guy, it's the toughness that really helped me.”
The Bearkats bullpen was equally as impressive as Spence Rahm, Hayden Nixon and Greg Belton combined to toss the final two hitless innings. Belton picked up his fourth save, permitting just a one-out walk before shutting the door in the ninth.
Meanwhile, Bryce Johnson (2 for 5), Broadbent (2 for 2), Beene (2 for 4) and Fregia (2 for 4) all logged multi-hit performances, helping Sam Houston to 12 hits, the squads 13th double-digit hit game this season. For Fregia, it marked his third time doing so.
“Andrew is a three-hole hitter,” Deggs said. “You can take this to the bank. He will be our three-hole hitter one day. Right now, it's a little safer for him in the nine spot. It's a matter of time before he works his way up to the top or the middle of the order.”
The Bearkats, who have won seven straight Southland Conference games, will go for their second-consecutive league sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. Freshman Riley Gossett (3-0, 2.08 ERA), who has held opponents to just one run in each of his last two starts, will face Central Arkansas's Riley Echols (1-0, 4.12 ERA).
