HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats made things interesting in the ninth, but it was too little too late against the No. 15 DBU Patriots on Friday night as they dropped the series opener, 3-1 at Don Sanders Stadium.
Walker Janek reached base twice and extended his season-opening hit streak to 23 games with an RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning, but it was one of just four hits on the night against DBU (18-3, 1-0 CUSA) starter Ryan Johnson, who looked the part of staff ace for the Patriots.
Johnson went the distance to move to 4-0 on the year, walking just one hitter and striking out 15 on just 110 pitches. The CUSA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, he had retired 16 hitters in a row before a 2-out triple by Caleb Cotton in the ninth inning was the first baserunner for the Kats (15-7, 2-2 CUSA) since the fourth.
The effort spoiled an otherwise solid effort by the Bearkat pitching combo of Coltin Atkinson and Logan Hewitt. Atkinson took the loss despite allowing just three runs in 6.0 innings, scattering seven hits and punching out three. Hewitt then went the rest of the way, allowing just a single baserunner in the final 3.0 innings, punching out three of his own.
Along with Cotton and Janek's hits in the ninth, the Kats also got singles in the second inning from Jeffrey David and Easton Loyd. The consecutive extra-base knocks in the ninth made it interesting, scoring the Kats' first run of the night and bringing up the tying run at the plate; however, Johnson was able to get a hard fly out from Malachi Lott to end the game.
DBU plated an early run in the second inning, cashing in on a leadoff double by Tom Poole to go up 1-0 on an RBI single by Luke Heefner. The lead stayed right there until the fifth when Miguel Santos socked a 2-run homer out to right field to make it 3-0.
UP NEXT
The Kats will the Patriots once again on Saturday at Don Sanders Stadium. First pitch of Game 2 of the series is set for 3:00 p.m. The game can be heard on KSHU 90.5 or on the Patriot Sports Network (DBU Radio).
POSTGAME NOTES
- Walker Janek's ninth-inning double extended his season-opening hit streak to 23 games. He is still the lone Kat to have hit safely in all 23 games this year and has hit in 27 consecutive games overall, dating back to the end of the 2023 season.
- His hit streak is the longest to open a season in program history, breaking Andrew Kasparak's mark of 22 games to open the 2003 season.
- The double was the 30th of Janek's career.
- Coltin Atkinson's three strikeouts gives him 206 for his career and moves him into fifth all-time at SHSU.
