Sam Houston Defeats Southeastern Louisiana
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SUGAR LAND, Texas - Sam Houston State doubled up Southeastern Louisiana 8 to 4 on Thursday afternoon at Constellation Field. The Bearkats come-from-behind win moves them to 2 and 0 in the Southland Conference Tournament. The victory gives them a spot in Friday's 4 p.m. semifinal game.
It did not look good early for Sam Houston State. They fell behind 4 to 0 in the top of the first inning. The first three runs coming courtesy of Lions' slugger Carson Crites, who clubbed a three-run homer that easily cleared the left field fence. Webb Bobo scored later in that same inning on a Bearkats' fielding error.
Sam Houston starter Hayden Wesneski settled down and quelled the Southeastern Louisiana attack for three more innings without giving up a run. Winning pitcher Kyle Backus and Nick Mikolajchak came in from the bullpen to combine for five shutout innings.
While they were working on the mound, Bearkat hitters pounded out eight runs on 11 hits.
"That was a great fight," said Sam Houston State head coach Matt Deggs. "Two really good teams going toe-to-toe. I've got a lot of respect for those guys. They play hard and play the game the right way. It could have gone either way. We were fortunate enough to scratch a few runs at the end. I thought we got some really good performances out of three freshmen. They punched us right in the mouth, but this team has no flinch in them."
The comeback started with three Kats runs in the bottom of the second inning to make it 4 to 3. The first run coming via a single through the right side by Blake Chisolm that plated Robie Rojas. Hunter Hearn then doubled to right field, scoring Chisolm. Hearn scored on this same play, going to third on the throw home and finishing his trip around the bases on a subsequent overthrow into third base.
Sam Houston State took the lead in the fourth inning after Hearn doubled to center, allowing Chisolm to score. Jaxxon Grisham then grounded out to second, scoring Hearn and giving Sam Houston State its first lead.
The No. 3 seed Bearkats added a run in the sixth inning on another Hearn RBI hit, this one a single to left that scored Rojas. Riley McKnight picked up an RBI when he worked a bases loaded walk that sent Hearn jogging home.
Sam Houston's final runs were delivered by a Grisham single up the middle that drove in pinch runner Mac Odom. Riley McKnight then worked a bases loaded walk to allow Hearn to come jogging home with the eighth run.
Southeastern Louisiana starting pitcher Corey Gaconi lasted 6 1/3 innings, surrendering six runs on eight hits, along with four strikeouts. Gaconi hit one batter and walked none.
Wesneski went four innings, giving up four runs - three of them earned, while striking out three and walking three.
The Bearkats will play Friday at 4 p.m., meeting the winner of tomorrow morning's Southeastern Louisiana vs. New Orleans game. The Lions and Privateers get started at 9 a.m.
Every game of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament will be carried live on ESPN3. Southland assistant commissioner Chris Mycoskie will handle play-by-play duties, while several Southland teams' radio announcers will also showcased in the ESPN3 booth during the early rounds. For the title game, Mycoskie will be matched with color analyst Greg Swindell, a former first-team All-American at the University of Texas and 17-year Major Leaguer.