Box Score
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Jack Rogers homered and drove in five runs in helping the Sam Houston State Bearkats complete a weekend sweep of McNeese with a 7-4 win on Sunday afternoon at Joe Miller Ballpark.
The sweep keeps the Kats (31-13, 18-3 SLC) out in front of the rest of the Southland Conference, 2.5 games up on second-place Southeastern Louisiana who will visit The Don next weekend. Sam Houston took an early lead in the second inning and never gave it back, despite a late rally by the Cowboys (20-24, 14-10 SLC) in the ninth.
Sunday capped off an otherwise dominating weekend for the Bearkats in Lake Charles where they never trailed in the series and led for 25 of 27 innings played. They did not commit an error the entire weekend in handing McNeese its first Southland Conference series sweep at home since 2009.
Rogers was the catalyst at the plate all day, finishing 3-for-4 with five RBI, including RBI singles in both the second and seventh innings in what were the only two Bearkat runs of the game until the eighth. His three-run homer in that inning proved to be the difference in the game. He and Hunter Hearn were the only Kats with multiple hits on the day, while Jaxxon Grisham and Jordan Cannon each had RBI in the five-run eighth.
Hayden Wesneski ran his record to 4-2 with the win, allowing just one run in 6.2 innings. He finished with four strikeouts and five hits allowed, needing just 20 pitches to get through the first three frames before grinding it out the rest of the way behind sparkling defense that included two of Sam's three double plays on the day.
Riley Gossett also got in 1.1 innings of work before Brad Demco and Dakota Mills combined to get through the ninth, an inning that ended on a double-play by Mills off the bat of Carson Maxwell who was at the plate representing the tying run.
For McNeese, starter Tyler Wesley fell to 3-4 on the year despite pitching well through 6.0 innings. He allowed just two runs on five hits and struck out three. The Kats managed to get their five runs in the eighth inning off of relievers Zach Rider and Aidan Anderson.
UP NEXT
Sam Houston gets one more shot at the Houston Cougars this season on Tuesday in neutral-site competition in the finale of the Don Sanders Cup series at Constellation Field in Sugar Land. The Kats and Coogs split a midweek two-game series just two weeks ago with each winning at home. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. from Constellation Field, a site that will also serve as the host of the Southland Conference Tournament in May.
KEY INNINGS
Top 2nd
The Kats took advantage of three singles in its first four hitters of the second inning to jump out to a 1-0 lead. A leadoff single by Chase Cryer was followed two batters later by another by Jordan Cannon, putting runners on first and second with one out. Rogers then punched a grounder into left field, scoring Cryer to put the Kats on top 1-0.
Top 7th
Neither team was able to muster up much offense until the Kats got working again in the seventh. Ben Haefner go the Kats in position to add on to their lead with a leadoff double off of Wesley, and chasing the Cowboy starter for the game. Rider entered and got a strikeout of Cannon, but then Rogers delivered again, lining a single into center field that scored Haefner from second to give the Kats a 2-0 lead.
Bottom 7th
McNeese finally had an answer in the bottom half of the inning, answering the Bearkat run with one of their own. A one-out double by Jake Cochran was followed by Wesneski's second strikeout of the inning, but Brett Whelton then lined a single into right field to score Cochran and cut the Sam lead in half. The Kats then turned to Gossett out of the pen and he quickly struck out Jacob Strancer on just four pitches to end the inning and keep the Kats in front.
Top 8th
Sam finally opened it up in the eighth, getting just two hits but plating five scores against a pair of Cowboy pitchers. An infield hit by Blake Chisolm started it off and a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases with just one away. Pinch hitter Jaxxon Grisham made it 3-1 when he drew a bases-loaded walk and Cannon followed with a sacrifice fly that upped the lead by another run. Rogers then delivered the big swing of the game, tagging Anderson for a three-run homer over the left-field fence, giving the Kats a 7-1 lead.
Bottom 9th
The Cowboys got a pair of runs back on a Brett Whelton two-run single in the eight before things got a bit chippy in the ninth for the Kats. A pair of walks and a single by the first three McNeese hitters quickly loaded the bases for the Cowboys with Mills on the hill. McNeese then cut the lead down to 7-4 when Shane Selman beat out a double play, and one batter later Joe Provenzano singled to re-load the bases. But Mills was able to get Carson Maxwell to hit a grounder right to Cryer at third base and he completed the double play to close out the game.
QUOTABLES
Coach Matt Deggs on the win in the finale over McNeese …
“I thought we played incredible defense today and I thought it was the capper of the weekend defensively for us. We made one great play after another and then dominated the routine plays. (Hayden) Wesneski was scoreless through six and got us into the seventh and did a really good job of setting the tone for us. But I thought that defense was the story of the day.”
Deggs on Jack Rogers' big day …
“Jack Rogers just had a huge day for us. He's been coming on, made a couple of adjustments and is starting to settle in, which could be gigantic for us because he's got a special bat. It was good to see him play the way he played this weekend.
Deggs on the Rogers homer and the last two innings of the game …
“That homer was the difference. We were able to break through there after giving up a couple of silly runs in the bottom half. We made it interesting there at the end with a couple of walks, but Dakota (Mills) came in and did his thing. He got a couple of ground balls and was able to turn a double play. Like I said, pitching, defense and then having two or three guys step up offensively was gigantic for us.”
