HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats secured a series win over Stephen F. Austin in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, blasting the Lumberjacks, 15-3, in just seven innings at Don Sanders Stadium.
The Kats (26-19, 16-7 WAC) scored three times in the first inning, five times in the second and blew it open with seven more runs in the fourth inning while getting a third straight outstanding start from lefty
Steven Beard on the mound.
The win also clinched a berth for Sam Houston in the upcoming WAC Tournament, set to be held in Mesa, Ariz., following the conclusion of the regular season.
Beard logged just 5.0 innings, but left with a 15-1 advantage on a hot day at The Don, allowing just a solo home run to SFA's (13-30, 7-16 WAC) Cameron Crawford in the first inning before going on to strike out seven Lumberjacks and issue just one free pass for his fifth victory of the season.
He was the beneficiary of another huge offensive day for the Kats, one that saw them jump all over SFA starter Benny Emmons III for eight runs in just 1.2 innings of work. A 3-run homer by
Carlos Contreras in the bottom of the first inning gave the Kats the lead for good, and they only added on from there.
Easton Loyd led all players with four RBI on a 3-for-4 day that included a double and a triple, while
Justin Wishkoski,
Walker Janek and
Wes Folse each added two RBI apiece.
Clayton Chadwick continued his torrid series with a 3-for-3 game that included an RBI, walk and three runs scored.
The Kats and Jacks will close out their series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
