ST. GEORGE, Utah — Sam Houston was still feeling the sting from Friday's upset and took it out on Utah Tech in an 18-6 run-rule victory to clinch a three-game Western Athletic Conference series on Sunday.
The Bearkats (22-15, 14-4 WAC) lost the opener to the Trailblazers 7-5 but evened the series with a 6-3 win on Saturday. Sam Houston has now won all six of its conference series so far this season to remain in first place in the league standings.
The game was close for the first three innings with Utah Tech scoring the first run of the game in the bottom of the second off starter
Gavi Coldiron. The Kats did not let that stand for long.
Joe Redfield put Sam Houston in front for good with a two-run shot over the wall in right center field to get the scoring outburst started in the third inning.
Walker Janek added an RBI double,
Jake Tatom and
Caleb Cotton each drove in runs with singles, and a throwing error on a stolen base attempt made it 6-1.
The Trailblazers battled back to score four runs in the bottom of frame to briefly make it a one-run game, but the Kats retaliated with a fury by bringing five more runs to the plate in the fourth.
Tyler Davis ripped an RBI double to left center, and Janek launched his eighth home run of the season, a two-run blast to left, to put Sam Houston up 9-5.
Myles Jefferson connected on an RBI single, and
Clayton Chadwick hit a sacrifice fly to close out the inning.
The Bearkats put the finishing touches on Utah Tech in the seventh when
Justin Wishkoski answered a run by the Trailblazers in the fourth with an RBI double to left. Janek capped his monster day with a two-run single to left to make it 14-6.
Tatom slapped a two-run double to left to give Sam Houston the 10-run lead it needed to put the mercy rule into effect. The Kats tacked on two more insurance runs on an RBI double by Jefferson and a run-scoring single by Wishkoski.
Sam Houston will host Baylor at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the final home midweek game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium.
