CORPUS CHRISTI — The Sam Houston softball team's bats came alive and sophomore Regan Dunn tossed a shutout as the Bearkats earned a split in the Southland Conference doubleheader opening at Chapman Field Friday.
 
The Bearkats improved to 4-12 on the season, and will wrap up the series with one game Saturday at noon.
 
Game 1
A&M-Corpus Christi 4, Sam Houston 2
 
Texas A&M Corpus Christi scored two unearned runs off an error in the bottom of the fifth inning to hand Sam Houston a 4-2 loss in the Southland Conference opener Friday at Chapman Field.
 
The Bearkats took the early lead with runs in the second and third innings.
 
Junior Sheridan Fisher hit a one-out single to get things started in the second. Freshman Hannah Schaeffer followed with single, and sophomore Regan Dunn was hit by a pitch.
 
With two outs, Fisher stole home and Dunn took second for the first run of the game.
 
Sam Houston made it 2-0 in the third when seniors Kayte Martinez and Megan McDonald led off the frame with back-to-back singles and moved over on a ground out by freshman Emily Telg. Freshman Ellie Grill drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center field.
 
The Islanders tied the game with a two-run triple in the third.
 
Freshman Mika Vento (2-2) took the loss in the circle. She had six strikeouts and walks in 4 1/3 innings with two earned runs.
 
Game 2
Sam Houston 6, A&M-Corpus Christi 0
 
Sam Houston once again grabbed a quick lead, but this time was able to take advantage of it en route to a 6-0 victory over A&M-Corpus Christi behind the great pitching performance by sophomore Regan Dunn in game two at Chapman Field.
 
Senior Brooke Malia blasted a two-run home run in the top of the second inning to make it 2-0 after freshman Hannah Schaeffer was hit by a pitch with two outs. That would prove to be the game-winning hit.
 
Dunn tossed seven scoreless innings. She struck out five and gave up only two hits to improve to 2-3 on the season.
 
The Bearkats added a run in the third when senior Megan McDonald led off with a single and moved to second thanks to a walk by freshman Emily Telg. Junior Sheridan Fisher brought a run home with an RBI single to increase the lead to 3-0.
 
Sam Houston scored two more in the fourth on an RBI bunt single by sophomore Kyndal Kutac and a groundout by McDonald.
 
Dunn helped her own cause in the fifth with an RBI single to left.