HUNTSVILLE – Miles Hellums pitched 6.0 strong innings and the Sam Houston offense struck for 10 runs by the fifth inning before holding on for a 12-8 win over St. John's on Saturday afternoon at Don Sanders Stadium.
The Kats (8-3), who were shut out in Friday's series opener, made sure that would not happen again with a run in the first and five more in the third to open up a lead they would never relinquish.
Jeffrey David turned out to be the big bat of the day, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a big 3-run homer in the third which gave Sam Houston early breathing room. Meanwhile, Hellums retired the first nine batters he faced before going on to strike out five and walk just one in 6.0 innings of work to tally his second straight win.
Blake Brown and Hunter Autrey also picked up two hits and delivered 2-run homers, with Brown equaling David's mark with three RBI. Jake Tatom also turned in his most productive day of 2024, reaching base in four of his five plate appearances and driving in a pair of runs in addition to swiping a pair of bags.
St. John's went with lefty Louis Marinaro to start, but he and reliever Andrew Castellucio each surrendered five runs apiece with Marinaro being tagged with the loss.
The Kats led by as much as 12-3 after the sixth inning before each team started going to its bullpen and reserves; however, the Red Storm newcomers found offensive life late in the game with five runs in the final two innings.
St. John's made it interesting in the ninth, despite entering the inning with a 7-run deficit. Each of the first five hitters reached base to open the inning with the potential tying run eventually reaching the on-deck circle before Bearkat reliever Logan Hewitt was finally able to finish it off.
The Kats will look to take the series from the Red Storm on Sunday in the final game of the series set for a 12:00 p.m. first pitch. The game can be heard on BSN with Carlos Zimmermann on the call. Fans can hear the game on GoBearkats.com or by downloading the Bearkat Sports app.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The win was the first all-time win for Sam Houston over St. John's in three tries.
- Walker Janek went 1-for-5 and is still the lone Kat to have hit safely in all 11 games this year. He has hit in 15 consecutive games overall, dating back to the end of the 2023 season.
- Miles Hellums won his second consecutive start, each of which have been 6.0-inning stints. He finished with five strikeouts, tying his Bearkat career high set vs Rice in 2023.
- Hunter Autrey clubbed his third home run of the season, a team high. Jeffrey David and Blake Brown's home runs were each their first of the season.
- David responded from being held hitless on Friday to turning in a 4-for-5 game, the first 4-hit game by a Bearkat in 2024.
