STEPHENVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats got a huge day at the plate and on the mound as they returned to WAC play with a doubleheader sweep of Tarleton on Friday at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.
The Kats (21-17, 12-5 WAC) are now one game away from sweeping the Texans (13-25, 6-11 WAC) for the second time this season with the series finale set for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The series was originally scheduled to be single games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but was altered due to likely inclement weather on Sunday.
Game 1
Sam Houston 12, Tarleton 4
Matt Dillard carried the load for 8.0 innings, holding the Texans to just one run through the first seven frames and tying his career best with nine strikeouts. He had plenty of help offensively, starting with a 5-for-6 day from
Carlos Contreras, and a 4-hit outing from
Easton Loyd that included his third homer of the year.
In all, the Kats hit four home runs in the game, starting with a solo shot by
Clayton Chadwick in the top of the first, while
Walker Janek connected on a pair of longballs of his own, including a 2-run shot in the fifth that gave the Kats some early breathing room.
Sam Houston added four more runs in the seventh to push the lead to 9-1 before Janek and Loyd smashed back-to-back homers in the eighth.
Game 2
Sam Houston 15, Tarleton 5
Just one game after Dillard went 8.0 innings
Steven Beard went even further, throwing the Kats' first complete game of the year in the series-clinching victory.
The southpaw also punched out nine and had the Texans off balance all evening until surrendering a pair of late runs after the game had already been decided.
He got the benefit of another huge offensive game, starting again with Contreras who finished a double short of the cycle, homering twice and driving in seven runs after a grand slam in the ninth that capped a 6-run frame.
Anthony MacKenzie also drove in three runs with his first multi-homer game of his career, blasting longballs in both the fourth and ninth innings.
Lane Brewster added four hits of his own, and Loyd,
Myles Jefferson and
Wes Folse all had multi-hit game as well.
