HUNTSVILLE – One of the core principles for the Sam Houston State baseball program, and a word used often around the program, is intensity. The Bearkats showcased that aggressiveness on the base paths, and took advantage of opportunities given.
After falling behind by a run entering the seventh, Sam Houston scored three times and added an insurance run an inning later to defeat Abilene Christian 6-3 in the three-game opener on Friday night in front of 919 fans at Don Sanders Stadium.
“Let's be honest here, we were very opportunistic tonight,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “Sometimes that's what it takes, especially when you're in the middle of a run like we are right now. You're not going to bang the fences down every night. We were fortunate enough, they gave us a crack, and we found a way to get it done.”
In the seventh, the Bearkats took advantage of consecutive one-out hit by pitches to Robie Rojas and Taylor Beene and a wild pitch that pushed the runners to second and third. Following a strikeout, Bryce Johnson, who finished 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs, was intentionally walked and Sam Houston pinch hit Matt Broadbent, who hit a sharp dribbler back to the pitcher to tie the game at 3-3.
“When they announced I was coming in, the fans gave a big roar, which calms me down and helps me out to know everyone has my back,” Broadbent said. “When I hit it, I didn't hit it too well but I got enough. When I saw the pitcher, I got the perfect spot where the pitcher got a bad hop. I was just trying to get to first and the cards went my way.”
With the bases loaded, Zach Smith drew a five-pitch walk, plating Rojas for the lead before the Bearkats (23-16, 15-4 SLC) added another on a passed ball to score Johnson with Clayton Harp at the plate.
“That's a line drive in the book, right,” Deggs said of the Broadbent hit. “That's all we needed. I thought we ran the bases extremely well tonight. We took some extra bases. These guys played extremely hard and stayed together.”
Looking for some insurance in the eighth, Jaxxon Grisham hit a hard single up the middle and took second on an errant throw by the shortstop. Then, Rojas came to the dish, driving a single to right to score Grisham and give the bullpen some breathing room at 6-3.
Sam Houston starter Sam Odom tossed six innings, allowing eight hits and three runs, enough to keep the Bearkats in the game, but the story turned out to be the bullpen. The Kats stranded seven Wildcats (13-22, 5-11) runners between the sixth and eighth innings.
In the seventh, after two quick outs, Abilene Christian put two aboard via a hit by pitch and walk as the Bearkats turned to Miles Manning (4-2). After permitting a full-count walk, Manning induced a chopper to Rojas, who gunned it to first, escaping the jam.
An inning later, a head's up play from Fregia, throwing to home with runners on first and second on a grounder, eventually ending in a 5-2-6-1 out. Manning added the final play necessary, stabbing a liner back to the mound and throwing to first for the final out.
“Odom has been strong all year, so anytime we can help him out, we're going to take advantage of it,” Manning said. “All of our pitchers make that play (on the liner) for sure.”
With Abilene Christian scoring in the first, Sam Houston entered the third looking to even it up. Fregia reached on a two-out error, turning the lineup over for Johnson, who singled to center field, knotting the game up. The sophomore was again the story in the fifth, using timely two-out hitting to plate Beene.
The Wildcats' Nate Cole, who entered in relief for starter Garrett deMeyere, drew the loss, allowing 1 2-3 innings, permitting one hit and three runs (two earned). Sam Houston closer Greg Belton notched his seventh save, closing two door in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts.
The teams meet again on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the middle game. The victory helped the Bearkats keep pace in the Southland Conference race and moved the squad's win streak to five straight. A win Saturday would secure the squad's sixth-straight league-series victory.
