HOUSTON – The Sam Houston Bearkats led for nearly the entirety of Tuesday's game at Houston, but the homestanding Cougars got a walk-off, 2-run double in the ninth inning by Ace Reese for a 2-1 win at Schroeder Park.
Sam Houston (8-5) had led since the second inning when Hunter Autrey socked a solo home run, and the lead held up until the final frame thanks to brilliant pitching by starter Michael Watson and reliever Logan Hewitt; however, after not having a leadoff man reach in any of the first eight innings, the Cougars' (8-4) Tre Jones worked a leadoff walk to get things going and after the Bearkats' only error of the night compounded things, Reese delivered the final blow.
Bearkat pitching continued to stand out as Watson, Hewitt and Malachi Lott combined to strike out 11 Houston hitters. But UH's arms were even better on Tuesday with five pitchers combining to set down 17 Sam Houston hitters on strikes.
Lott took the loss against his former team despite facing just two batters in the game, while Cade Citelli picked up the win after striking out the side in the top of the ninth, his only inning of work.
Sam Houston finished with just four hits in the game, with Autrey's homer and a double by Jeffrey David being for extra bases.
Watson was stellar in his first start as a Bearkat, shutting out the Cougars through 5.0 innings before leaving with a 1-0 lead. The lefty struck out six Houston batters and walked just two while surrendering two hits. Hewitt came on to strike out four in 3.0 innings of relief.
Autrey gave the Kats an early lead with an opposite-field solo home run in the top of the second off starter Dan Wright, but the Cougars then turned to lefty reliever Chris Stuart who did yeoman's work with 4.0 innings of scoreless relief, striking out eight.
Watson worked out of jams in the fourth and fifth before Hewitt entered for the sixth. The veteran righty left runners stranded in each of his frames and came back out for the ninth, but was unable to finish off Jones to open the inning. The Cougars then tried to bunt Jones up 90 feet, but an errant throw by Janek skipped into center field to put runners on the corners with nobody out.
Lott then entered the game and got a strikeout of Thomas Lyssey, but could not finish off Reese, who smacked an 0-2 pitch off the right-field wall for the game-winner.
The Kats will stay on the road for this weekend for their first road series of 2024, starting Friday at Texas State. First pitch from Bobcat Ballpark is set for 6 p.m. on Friday in the series opener. No broadcast is scheduled for Friday, but Games 2 and 3 of the series are to be aired on ESPN+.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The game was the 175th in the history of the Sam Houston/Houston rivalry. The Cougars now lead the all-time series by a 90-85 margin.
- The game also served as the opener of the Don Sanders Cup series. The Cougars will next travel to Huntsville on April 9 before the teams meet again at Constellation Field in Sugar Land on May 14.
- Walker Janek's single in the first inning extended his season-opening hit streak to 13 games. He is still the lone Kat to have hit safely in all 13 games this year and has hit in 17 consecutive games overall, dating back to the end of the 2023 season.
- His hit streak is the longest such streak by a Bearkat to open a season since Todd Sebek hit safely in 18 consecutive games to start the 2008 season.
- Michael Watson has now struck out 12 and walked just two in 9.0 shutout innings over his last three appearances on the hill.
- The 11 strikeouts marked the fourth time this season the Bearkat pitching staff has reached double figures in punchouts, including three of the last four games.
