SUGAR LAND – For most in orange at Sugar Land's Constellation Field on Wednesday afternoon, nerves were probably settling in. The Sam Houston State baseball team, however, had Stephen F. Austin right where they wanted them.
The top-seeded Bearkats used a four-run seventh to race past the eighth-seeded Lumberjacks and take the opener of the Southland Conference Tournament, 5-3. The victory moves Sam Houston into the winner's bracket, facing the winner of four-seed Lamar and five-seed Central Arkansas on Thursday at 7 p.m.
“That was kind of a microcosm of our season right there,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “We started off slow, got a little better in the middle and then finished strong. The only reason we got to do that is because after the first inning Heath Donica was able to match zero for zero for zero and give us seven great innings.”
Sam Houston (38-19) fell behind 2-0 in the first inning before moving its win-loss record to 6-4 when trailing after the opening frame. The inning was the only blemish for Donica (9-3), who allowed just two hits the rest of the way.
The junior tossed seven innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. Donica struck out eight for the second time in three games without allowing a walk. In an attempt to solidify the opening win, closer Greg Belton tossed the final two frames, earning his 13th save while inducing a 5-4-3 double play in the eighth with the bases loaded.
“You always want that first [win] out of the way,” Belton said. “After you get that first one, it all falls into place. Everybody's calmer, we're going to get way more hits and everyone's just going to do their job.”
With two outs in the seventh and the Kats trailing 2-1, senior Spence Rahm came on to pinch hit, sending a lining single to center, putting runners on first and second. After Jaxxon Grisham came on to pinch run, Bryce Johnson took an 0-1 pitch to left to score Taylor Beene, putting two runners in scoring position on the throw to the plate.
Then, freshman Riley McKnight stepped to the plate, catching Stephen F. Austin (27-29) off guard, laying down a bunt on a 1-2 count to third. The two-hole hitter showcased his speed, forcing an errant throw to first to score a pair for a 4-2 advantage. Junior Lance Miles followed with a first-pitch RBI single to left.
“We had confidence coming through,” McKnight said. “We've had a lot of games like this – come from behind wins late in the game. We just stick together and do our job and stuff will start falling your way. We were a little amped up at the beginning, but we calmed down and played our game.”
Sam Houston cut the deficit to one in the second as Taylor Beene fought off a 0-2 pitch with two outs, scoring Zach Smith who led off with a single. The Bearkats recorded 11 hits while continuing to keep pressure on SFA courtesy of leadoff singles in four different innings.
“These guys have been through a lot,” Deggs said. “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. They embrace moments like this. They are comfortable being uncomfortable. That's their type of ballgame to a T. That's just who we are.”
