HUNTSVILLE — The Bearkats came alive at the plate to steam roll Rhode Island 25-2 to clinch the opening series of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Sunday.
Sam Houston (2-1) exploded for 20 hits and four home runs including a pair by
Clayton Chadwick and a grand slam by
Lane Brewster as the Rams (1-2) sent nine pitchers to the mound over the course of the nine-inning contest.
After Rhode Island evened the three-game series with a 13-3 victory on Saturday in a game the Bearkats could not muster much offensively, things quickly changed Sunday.
Sam Houston scored two runs in the bottom of the first on a double by Chadwick and an error. The Kats added four more in the second on RBI singles by Brewster,
Easton Loyd and
Tyler Davis.
Chadwick struck again with a two-run shot in the fourth.
Jake Tatom added a two-run single in the frame and
Ryan Franden drove in another run with a base hit.
This was more than enough support for starting pitcher
Logan Hewitt. He earned his first win of the season by allowing two runs in six innings with six strikeouts.
Walker Janek kicked off a six-run fifth inning with a three-run home run. Tatom had an RBI single, and Miles Jefferson plated a run with a double.
Chadwick hit his third home run of the series in the sixth before Brewster put the exclamation point on the frame when he cleared the bases with a blast to right center field.
Sam Houston will host McNeese on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
