Box Score
HUNTSVILLE – Some Senior Days just turn out better than others, which was exactly the case for Hannah Marino who delivered a pinch-hit, game-winning two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to give Sam Houston State a 4-2 win over Abilene Christian in the series finale on Saturday at the Bearkat Softball Complex.
The win clinched the second straight series win for the Kats (20-22, 11-10 SLC), this one over ACU (28-18, 16-5 SLC) who entered the weekend all alone in second place in the Southland Conference.
Marino, who was one of five Bearkat seniors to be honored for their careers prior to the game, was not the only hitter to deliver a big blow as freshman Tiffany Thompson homered for the second straight game. Her two-run shot in the bottom of the third was just the answer the Kats needed after ACU had given itself a 1-0 lead in the previous half inning.
The late-inning heroics made a winner of another senior, Tayler Atkinson, who picked up her eighth win of the season with two innings of relief. Lindsey McLeod got the start for Sam Houston and did her job, going five frames and allowing just one run on five ACU hits.
Meanwhile, the Kats tagged ACU starter Sidney Holman with just her fifth loss of the season as the freshman allowed three runs on six hits in five innings of work, striking out a pair but also walking three.
UP NEXT
The Kats will next have a key series on their hands on the road when they face Southeastern Louisiana, the team one spot behind them in the league standings. The series with the Lions is set to begin in Hammond, La., with a doubleheader on Friday before the teams close it out with a single game on Saturday.
KEY INNINGS
Bottom 1st
The Kats looked like they would go quietly in their first at-bat of the day as Holman retired the first two hitters she saw before issuing a four-pitch walk to Codi Carpenter. Tori Koerselman followed with an infield single to set up a threat for the Bearkats, but ACU's Alli Spivey was able to track down a try for extra bases by Megan Crosby in the right-field corner to keep the Kats off the board and end the inning.
Top 3rd
A pair of infield singles and two stolen bases with one out quickly gave ACU a pair of runners in scoring position in the top of the third. The Wildcats were able to take advantage of the situation, staking themselves to a 1-0 lead on an RBI ground out from shortstop Peyton Hedrick, scoring Spivey.
Bottom 3rd
But the lead was short-lived as the Bearkats immediately responded in their next trip to the plate. Megan McDonald led things off by beating out an infield single and Tiffany Thompson followed by blasting her second homer in as many days out to center field, surging the Bearkats in front 2-1.
Top 5th
McLeod had to work around some trouble with the bottom of the Wildcat order in the fifth, an inning that opened with a single back up the middle by Donelle Johnson. A sacrifice bunt and a grounder advanced her to third with two outs, but McLeod was able to get Taylor Brown to ground out to Koerselman at third to keep the Bearkats in front.
Top 6th
Things picked up for both teams in the sixth, starting in the top half when the Wildcats managed to tie things up. With Atkinson entering in relief, Sam Houston elected to walk Hedrick, one of the league's top hitters, to open the frame; however, a passed ball and a wild pitch put her on third base with one out just two pitches later. Holly Neese then tied things up by shooting a single into right field before Atkinson was able to retire the next two hitters.
Bottom 6th
But the Bearkats immediately responded once again, re-taking the lead on Marino's heroics in the bottom half of the inning. Ashley Goetz started it off with a walk and then beat out a throw to second base on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Casey Kauder, putting two runners on base with no outs. Emily Bounds then successfully bunted them up a base and the Bearkats turned to Marino, who kept a 1-2 pitch just fair inside the third-base bag and wound up on second base with a go-ahead, two-run double.
The Wildcats would get a runner on base in the seventh, but Atkinson was able to coax a grounder from Brown to end the game with Hedrick waiting on deck.
