HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston scored three times in the late innings to snag a 5-2 midweek win over Northwestern State on Wednesday night at Don Sanders Stadium.
A night after exploding for 18 runs against Baylor, Sam Houston (15-7) had just nine hits but got them when they needed to win for the fourth time in its last five games.
Walker Janek delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to break a 2-2 deadlock and Jace Martinez picked up his second RBI single in the eighth to help the Kats tack on some insurance, making a winner of reliever Chandler David for the second time this year.
Both SHSU and NSU used the game to feature a bevy of arms with Sam Houston throwing four relievers for 2.0 innings apiece before Wyatt Tucker struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his third save of the year. Marshall Wales got the start in his return to the mound and struck out a pair, as did Miles Hellums in his first relief outing.
Freshman Ryan Peterson allowed one run on one hit in his 2.0 frames before David entered for the seventh and the eighth.
The Demons got 3.0 innings out of starter Kevin Robinson before five relievers went an inning each. Bryce Leonard took the loss, falling to 0-2, after allowing the go-ahead run.
Janek finished the night going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, while Martinez was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Leadoff man Caleb Cotton also scored twice, reaching base in three of his five plate appearances.
NSU took an early lead on Cole Jung's first homer of the season, a solo shot to right field with one out in the second. But Sam Houston answered back in the bottom of the inning with a walk to Hunter Autrey and a bunt single by Easton Loyd setting up Jace Martinez who shot a single into right field to score Autrey and tie it up against Demon starter Kevin Robinson.
Miles Hellums came in to throw a pair of scoreless innings in relief of Wales and got the lead in the third on an RBI single by Malachi Lott which scored Caleb Cotton from second.
That lead lasted until the fifth when NSU struck again, getting a run off Bearkat freshman Ryan Peterson. A triple off the left-center field wall by Daniel Burroway was the big swing of the inning, putting him in position to score the tying run, which he did on a grounder by Jung.
Cotton and Janek then teamed up to get the Kats back in front for good as Cotton drew a one-out walk in the seventh and then moved into scoring position on a Demon wild pitch. Janek then shot a single into left field, easily scoring Cotton to put Sam Houston up 3-2.
A leadoff single by Hunter Autrey and a walk to Jake Tatom then got the Kats in business in the eighth and after a sacrifice bunt from Easton Loyd, Martinez delivered again with an RBI single to right field to make it 4-2. Sam Houston then got one more run home when it loaded the bases and reliever John Shahrdar hit Janek with a pitch to make it 5-2.
UP NEXT
The Kats will now return to Conference USA play when they host the No. 15 Dallas Baptist Patriots for three games, beginning Friday night at Don Sanders Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. with the game to be streamed on ESPN+.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Walker Janek's single in the first inning extended his season-opening hit streak to 22 games. He is still the lone Kat to have hit safely in all 22 games this year and has hit in 26 consecutive games overall, dating back to the end of the 2023 season.
- His hit streak is only the third hit streak of 22 or more games within a single season in program history.
- The Kats are now 4-3 in midweek games in 2024, including 4-0 at Don Sanders Stadium.
- Hunter Autrey has now reached base in 18 straight games, and is riding an 8-game hit streak of his own.
