HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats found the winning formula on Sunday afternoon, salvaging a 2-1 win over Abilene Christian in the series finale at Don Sanders Stadium. 

Blake Brown and Grant Nottlemann each had RBI in a 2-run sixth inning and the pitching duo of Felix Schlede, Zak Johnson and Danny Valadez kept the Wildcats (14-6) at bay to help the Bearkats (4-15) avoid being swept at home for the first time since 2011. 

Schlede made his first start of the year and gave the Kats just what they needed with 5.1 innings of work. The big righty allowed just one run on three hits and struck out four before being lifted in the sixth.  

Johnson then carried the load into the ninth inning and exited with the lead, earning his first win as a Bearkat when Valadez cued up a game-ending double play with two runners on in the ninth to secure the game and his second save this season. 

ACU had taken an early lead in the second inning when Maddox Miesse reached on a single, eventually scoring on a wild pitch from Schlede for a 1-0 advantage. But Schlede retired 10 of the next 12 batters he faced to allow the Bearkat offense a chance, and the Kats took advantage in the sixth against ACU starter Cade McGarrh.  

The inning started harmlessly enough with a 1-out walk to Brady Christensen, and one batter later Brown delivered his third hit of the game, an RBI triple which scooted past the glove of ACU right fielder Louis Bussard into the right field corner to tie it up. One batter later Nottlemann got his bat on the ball and ACU first baseman Grant Watkins couldn't handle it, allowing Brown to score with what turned out to be the winning run. 

Johnson got out of the top of the seventh with a strikeout/throwout double play and entered the ninth with a lead before running into trouble with a 1-walk to Miesse which was followed by a single by Benjamin Greer. The Kats then went to the pen for Valadez and the righty needed just four pitches before getting Saturday's hero, Sam Hardcastle, to ground into a 6-4-3 twin killing to get the Kats in the win column. 

UP NEXT  
The Kats now head to Sugar Land to complete the Don Sanders Cup series vs Houston beginning with the completion of the game halted on March 12. That game is scheduled to resume at 4:00 p.m. at Constellation Field with the Kats trailing UH by a 9-6 margin in the bottom of the fifth. The teams will then line back up for a full game to close the night with it beginning 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. 

All action from Constellation Field will be able to be followed via live stats on Statbroadcast or heard on the Bearkat Sports Network. The game can also be heard over the airwaves locally on KSHU 90.5 FM