HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats split a non-conference doubleheader with Kennesaw State on Wednesday night, taking Game 1 in dramatic fashion before falling in the nightcap at the Bearkat Softball Complex.
The Kats will now move back into WAC play with a 3-game series at Tarleton, beginning Saturday in Stephenville.
GAME 1
Sam Houston 5, Kennesaw State 4
The Bearkat bats were held silent for the first four innings before scoring five times in the final three frames, including a walk-off homer by
Brailey Wasik in the seventh to give the Kats the win.
KSU got one run in the third and three more in the fourth to go up 4-0 before a single by
Brodie Quinlan got the Kats on the board in the fifth. One inning later RBI hits from
Elia Hebel and
Ellie Grill got the Kats to within a run and an Owl miscue allowed Grill to score the tying run.
Mika Vento, the winning pitcher with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief work, set the Owls down in the seventh and the Kats then went to Wasik as a pinch hitter to lead off the seventh. She then blasted the second pitch she saw over the left-field fence off of KSU starter Lindsey Kyte to send the Kats off as winners.
GAME 2
Kennesaw State 13, Sam Houston 4
The Owls struck early and often in the finale, building a 10-2 lead through four innings before rolling to a 13-4 win behind a complete game from ace Melanie Bennett, who struck out 10 and did not walk a batter in earning her fifth win of the year.
The Kats were right there through two innings, down 3-2 after an RBI double from
Kyndal Kutac and a solo homer from
Elia Hebel, but KSU responded with seven runs over the next two frames to open it up. The big blow came on a grand slam from Kiera Cooper that pushed the lead to 10-2 in the fourth.
