SAN MARCOS – The Sam Houston Bearkats scored three runs in the top of the eighth and secured a weekend series win with a 4-2 victory over Texas State on Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark.
The Bearkats (10-5) trailed 2-1 entering the eighth inning but struck for three runs and the bullpen duo of Logan Hewitt and Chandler David made that stand up, securing the first series win in San Marcos for Sam Houston over its former Southland Conference rival since 2009.
Jake Tatom and Malachi Lott each had a pair of hits, but it was Tatom's 2-run single in the eighth that proved to be the deciding swing. Jace Martinez did not record a hit, but drew two of five Bearkat walks in the game and picked up a pair of RBI.
On the mound Miles Hellums gave the Kats a strong start with 4.1 innings, allowing just one earned run, before Rome Shubert entered to close out the fifth. But it was Michael Watson who earned the win, striking out four and retiring six of the seven hitters he faced in 2.0 innings of work.
David picked up his third save of the year and second in as many nights, getting the final two hitters of the game after Hewitt had gone 1.1 innings on his own.
For Texas State (7-7), Sam Hall gave the Bobcats their longest start of the season with 6.1 innings of work; however, they used five arms in the game with Peyton Zabel getting tagged with the loss after allowing three runs in just an inning of work to fall to 1-1 on the year.
Blustery conditions made things difficult for either squad in the early going, but Sam Houston was able to finally break through in the top of the fifth when it took advantage of a leadoff single by Hunter Autrey. An error, bunt single and walk eventually loaded the bases and set up Martinez who got Autrey home on a grounder to the left side.
But the Bearkats were their own worst enemy an inning later, committing a pair of errors in the field which led to two Bobcat runs and put the home team out in front for the first time.
Watson entered to start the sixth for the Kats and immediately struck out the side, finishing with four punchouts in holding Texas State where it was at in both the sixth and seventh frames. That gave the Sam Houston offense another chance to strike, which it did in the top of the eighth.
Each of the first three hitters reached base to open the inning on a hit batter, single by Lott and a Bobcat error. Two batters later Tatom smoked the first pitch he saw back up the middle to score both Lott and Jeffrey David to put SHSU back in front, 3-2.
A bases-loaded walk to Martinez pushed in pinch runner Caleb Cotton with an insurance run, giving Hewitt a 4-2 lead as he took the hill in the bottom of the eighth. He left a runner stranded in that frame before coming out to start the eighth, getting the leadoff man before a single by Alec Patino prompted the Kats to go to David with the tying run at the plate.
The Bearkat stopper quickly did his duty, punching out Bobcat slugger Chase Mora before getting Daylan Pena to fly out harmlessly to center field.
The Kats will try to sweep the series on Saturday in the middle game of the series, a game set for 1:00 p.m.
Gavi Coldiron is slated to get the start for the Kats in a game set to be aired on ESPN+.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Walker Janek's double to lead off the sixth inning extended his season-opening hit streak to 15 games. He is still the lone Kat to have hit safely in all 15 games this year and has hit in 18 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 put together four straight scoreless appearances, striking out 14 with only 2 walks issued over 11.0 innings in that span.
