AUSTIN – The Sam Houston Bearkats put together a big sixth inning to put a scare into No. 19 Texas, but the Longhorns were able to outslug the Kats for a 15-9 win on Tuesday night at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The Bearkats (3-6) trailed 10-2 after five innings, but sent 11 hitters to the plate and scored seven times in the sixth inning to nearly draw back even with the nationally-ranked Longhorns (8-5); however, the UT offense was firing on all cylinders, scoring in six of eight times to the plate on the night on their way to 15 runs on 16 hits.
Colton Cowser led the Bearkat offense with a 3-for-5 night that included an RBI double and a pair of runs scored, while
Jack Rogers added a pair of RBI to his season tally.
Mason Schulz homered for the second time this season with a 3-run shot in the seventh inning that surged the Kats back in the ballgame, while
Bryce Holmes added a pair of hits in three at-bats off the bench.
Texas did their damage against five Bearkat pitchers with none going unscathed until
Jack Driskell made it the final 1.2 frames without giving up a run.
Cole Wesneski took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in 2.0 innings of his first career start.
For the Longhorns, Pete Hansen got the start and struck out three in 4.0 innings, earning the win in a predetermined outing.
The Bearkats jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the opening frame against Hansen as a single from Cowser and a double by
Christian Smith set up
Jack Rogers for an RBI grounder. But Texas immediately responded with a big inning, putting up four runs in the bottom half of the first on a wild pitch and RBI hits from Ivan Melendez and Cam Williams.
The Longhorns added another in the second on an RBI double by Zach Zubia, but Rogers answered with his second RBI of the game an inning later with a single to left field to score Cowser and make it a 5-2 game.
Texas looked to put things out of reach with five more runs over the fourth and fifth innings, but the Kats were able to put together a big inning of their own in the sixth to claw their way back into it. The Kats loaded the sacks with nobody out to start the frame and got two home on a UT error off the bat of
Clayton Chadwick.
One batter later freshman
Mason Schulz smashed his second pinch-hit homer of the season, a 3-run shot out to right field that cut the Longhorn lead to 10-7. Singles by
Anthony MacKenzie and
Easton Loyd followed and Cowser delivered after that, driving in his first run of the season with a double into the right-field corner. Smith got in another on a grounder, but UT reliever Tanner Witt was able to minimize any further damage by getting each of the next two hitters, ending the frame with a 10-9 Longhorn lead.
Texas got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of one of SHSU's five wild pitches to score Trey Faltine on an RBI infield single by Mitchell Daly.
The Kats had a great chance to tie it up or take the lead in the top of the seventh, but Witt was able to retire Cowser with the bases loaded to keep it a 2-run UT lead.
Texas would go on to add four more in the seventh inning to push the game back out of reach, holding the Kats off the board for the final three frames.
Sam Houston will now turn its focus to Southland Conference play, opening league play this weekend with four games at Southeastern Louisiana beginning Friday at Alumni Field at Pat Kennelly Diamond.
The teams will play one game on Friday, followed by two games on Saturday and another on Sunday. Each of the first three games can be viewed and heard on the Southeastern Sports Network, while Sunday's game will be aired on ESPN+.
