Kats hold on for win at HCU

Tuesday, February 17

Houston

6:30 PM

3-1

HCU

0-5

Sam Houston

HCU

Photo by: Grant Sides

Kats hold on for win at HCU

2/17/2026 10:21:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

HOUSTON – The Sam Houston Bearkats scraped together four runs to get its third straight win of 2026 on Tuesday night, downing HCU 4-3 at Husky Field.

Ryan Franden drew a pinch-hit, bases-loaded walk to push home the deciding run in the top of the eighth inning after the Huskies (0-5) had drawn even with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Zak Johnson responded by striking out the side in the eighth and Kade Neuenschwander put up a zero in the ninth to close it out.

Johnson picked up the win in relief for the Kats (3-1), retiring five of the six hitters he faced with four strikeouts. He was the fourth of five Bearkat arms to see the hill on a night which started with 4.0 innings of 1-run baseball from Jakob Holzer.

The Bearkat offense finished with 10 hits, led by Caleb Cotton with a 2-for-3 day and a pair of RBI. Jeric Curtis and Hunter Alvord each delivered two hits. Parker Blackman reached base twice with a pair of stolen bases.

The Kats got on the board quickly in the first when Curtis opened the game with a triple and immediately came home on an RBI single off the bat of Alvord. But the Huskies answered with a run of their own in the home half of the inning and that deadlock remained until the top of the fourth when the Kats used their speed to move in front 2-1.

Jace Martinez got the inning going with a double into the left-field corner and two batters later came in to score from second base on a deep sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Cotton. Martinez then turned a key unassisted double play in the fifth to hold the lead at 2-1 and the Kats tacked on another an inning later on a 2-out RBI single from Cotton.

The 3-run lead held until the bottom of the seventh when the Huskies got to the Bearkat bullpen, scoring twice on hits by Jeremy Rader and Katcher Halligan, but Johnson came in and got two of the next three hitters to end the frame knotted at 3-3.

The Kats then retook the lead in the top of the eighth, getting the go-ahead run home on a pinch-hit walk by Ryan Franden with the sacks loaded. Sam Houston was unable to deliver a game-opening hit in the inning, but Johnson responded by striking out the side in the bottom half of the frame.

HCU made it interesting in the ninth with a hit batter and error getting the tying runner to second base before Neuenschwander was able to close it out.

UP NEXT
The Bearkats will now head home for its first games at Don Sanders Stadium of 2026, opening a 3-game series vs UIC on Friday night. First pitch for the home opener is set for 6:30 p.m. with the game to air on ESPN+.