HUNTSVILLE — Sam Houston had no answer for Rhode Islands' offensive attack as the Rams evened a three-game series with a 13-3 victory at Don Sanders Stadium on Saturday.
The Rams (1-1) exploded for five runs in the third off starter
Steven Beard (0-1) and finished the game with four runs in the ninth a day after both teams combined for just five runs in a 3-2 win by the Bearkats (1-1). The rubber match will be Sunday at noon.
Sam Houston never really threatened as the Rams scored a run in the first, the five in the third and one in the fourth to grab a 7-0 lead before the Bearkats got on the board.
Walker Janek and
Clayton Chadwick hit back-to-back solo home runs in the fourth to make it 7-2, but RIU scored a run in the fifth and sixth to push the lead back to seven.
The Kats seemed poised for a big inning in the sixth when
Easton Loyd led off with a double. Chadwick reached on an error with one out that brought Loyd home, but that was all Sam Houston could scratch across the plate.
Rams starter Trystan Levesque threw six strong innings with eight strikeouts and held the Bearkats to just four hits to earn the win. Beard lasted three frames, allowing six runs on seven hits.