HUNTSVILLE — The Sam Houston softball team split a pair of games Friday to open the 2022 season at the Bearkat Classic at Bearkat Softball Complex.
Sam Houston (1-1) rallied to knock off South Dakota (1-1) in game one, but Wichita State got some clutch hits late to down the Bearkats in the nightcap 9-5.
The Kats will play Dayton at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Houston Baptist at 7 p.m.
Game 1
Sam Houston 9, South Dakota 8
Kyndal Kutac drove in the game-winning runs with a double in the bottom of the sixth to lift the Bearkats past the Coyotes 9-8 in the season opener.
After
Sheridan Fisher tied the game with an RBI double, Kutac ripped a shot to right field to score Fisher and
Ellie Grill.
Mika Vento struck out the side in the top of the seventh to earn the save.
South Dakota jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second, but Kutac quickly erased that deficit with a three-run home run in the third. The Coyotes scored four unanswered runs to retake the lead at 7-3.
The Kats kept battling and got a sacrifice fly by
Brodie Quinlan, and RBI double by
Kylie Hobbs and a run-scoring groundout by
Emily Telg to set up Sam Houston's rally.
Christine Billmeier pitched 2/3 of an inning in relief to pick up the victory in the circle.
Game 2
Wichita State 9, Sam Houston 5
The Shockers broke open a close game with five runs in the top of the seventh inning to hand the Bearkats a 9-5 setback.
Wichita State led 4-0 when
Kylie Hobbs finally got Sam Houston on the board with a solo home run to right in the fourth.
Kyndal Kutac had an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth and Hobbs had a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to one.
The Shockers hit a three-run home run and a two-run double in the seventh to go up 9-3. The Kats answered with a single by
Brailey Wasik that led to a two-run fielding error in the bottom of the frame but couldn't pull of the late-inning magic from the opener.
