HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats fell behind early and rallied late, but could not work out of a seven-run deficit in a 7-5 loss to WKU on Friday in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Don Sanders Stadium.
The Hilltoppers (24-11, 7-3 CUSA) struck for four runs in the second inning and added another in the third and two more in the fourth to build a 7-0 lead which took them to their eighth win in the last nine outings.
But if the first five frames belonged to WKU, the final four leaned toward the homestanding Bearkats (20-14, 3-7 CUSA) as Sam Houston nearly came all the way back and got the tying run to the plate three times in the late innings.
The Kats trailed 7-1 entering the eighth inning but got four runs home to cut the lead to 7-5, a margin which would have been closer if not for a controversial call at home plate on a play which proved to be the final out of the inning. Sam Houston then got the tying run to the plate with one out in the ninth inning before a pair of well-hit baseballs were snagged on good defensive plays by WKU to snuff out the final rally.
The rally would not have been possible if not for the yeoman's work of Miles Hellums out of the bullpen. The big righty entered to open the fifth inning and retired the first 12 hitters he faced to keep the Tops where they were. He finished with 5.0 no-hit, no-run innings of relief with four punchouts.
Offensively, the Kats out-hit the Tops 11-7, but WKU managed to score six of their seven runs with two outs in the early innings before being shut down by Hellums.
Jake Tatom and Caleb Cotton had three hits apiece and Walker Janek had a pair of hits, including his team-leading 10th home run of the season which cut the WKU lead to 7-3 in the eighth inning.
On the mound, Coltin Atkinson fell to 4-3 on the year with the loss after allowing all seven runs to the Tops in 4.0 innings of work.
On the other side, WKU starter Jack Bennett followed up an 11-strikeout performance last week vs Dallas Baptist with his fifth win of the year, striking out six and allowing just one run in 6.0 innings. Meanwhile, Mason Burns was hit well by the Bearkat offense, but still managed to complete his ninth save of the year.
UP NEXT
The Kats will try to even the series with WKU on Saturday at The Don. The game is slated to be aired on ESPN+.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Walker Janek's 2-run homer in the eighth inning put him in double digits for the second straight year and marked the second time this season he has homered in four consecutive games.
- His homer was also the 30th in his career, tying him with Jack Rogers for third all-time at SHSU. He is one of only four players in Bearkat history with 30 or more longballs.
- Caleb Cotton's 3-for-4 night included a double and a pair of singles and is the first 3-hit game of his career.
- Two of Jake Tatom's three hits were doubles, giving him 18 two-baggers for his career. It is also the first time as a Kat which he's had multiple doubles in a single game.
- Miles Hellums tossed 5.0 shutout innings of relief, the longest shutout appearance of his Bearkat career and the longest shutout appearance by a Bearkat reliever this year.
