HOUSTON – HBU rallied from a four-run deficit to tie Sam Houston State heading into the ninth, then senior catcher
Blake Thomas came through with his second walk-off single of the series as the Huskies swept the Bearkats with a 9-8 victory in the Southland Conference series finale Sunday afternoon at Husky Field.
Just as he did in Friday's 2-1, 14-inning win, Thomas came up with the game tied and junior shortstop
Tyler Depreta-Johnson at second. Thomas then smacked a single through the left side to plate the winning run. Depreta-Johnson blasted a two-out double off the top of the wall in left, then senior third baseman
Austin Zillweger was intentionally walked to set the stage for Thomas.
Junior first baseman
Jake Pulcheon went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, while senior centerfielder
Zane Otten went 3-for-5 and scored twice for the Huskies (26-20, 18-9 SLC). Thomas also went 3-for-5 with an RBI, Depreta-Johnson went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run and Zillweger went 2-for-4. Senior rightfielder
Brandon Brintz doubled and scored twice, and senior
Christian Thames had a two-run, pinch-hit homer.
Senior lefthander
Ivan Smith (1-2) picked up the win, holding the Bearkats (32-20, 16-11) scoreless on one hit with two strikeouts in the ninth. Sophomore starter
Daniel Endsley allowed five runs on six hits with four strikeouts in 3.1 innings, then sophomore
JT Newton allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 4.2 innings, his longest relief appearance of the season.
Clayton Harp went 2-for-5 with a home run, an RBI and scored twice, while Andrew Fregia homered and scored twice for SHSU. Bryce Johnson went 2-for-5 with an RBI, Jaxxon Grisham went 2-for-2 and scored a run and Robie Rojas went 2-for-5.
Nick Mikolajchak (0-3) took the loss, allowing a run on two hits with a strikeout and a walk in the ninth. Starter Hayden Wesneski gave up five runs, four earned, on eight hits with six strikeouts and a walk in 5.0 innings. Seth Ballew gave up a run and struck out four in 1.2 innings and Dominic Robinson allowed two runs in the eighth.
HBU took the lead with a pair of runs in the third when Otten singled, then Brintz followed with a double. Junior leftfielder
Spencer Halloran grounded out to plate the first run, then Brintz scored on a passed ball.
SHSU answered with five runs in the top in the top of the fourth. Fregia led off with a solo home run to left, his sixth of the season, then Harp singled to right and Blake Chisolm doubled to tie the game, 2-2. Endsley then hit three straight batters, the last forcing in a run to give the Bearkats the lead. A wild pitch scored another run, then Riley McKnight laid down a squeeze bunt to extend the Bearkats' lead to 5-2. Fregia led off the fifth with a walk on a nine-pitch at-bat, then eventually scored on a passed ball to stake SHSU to a four-run lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Otten singled, then Brintz walked. After Halloran struck out for the second out, Pulcheon unloaded a three-run shot to left, his second home run of the season, to cut the Huskies' deficit to one.
Harp hit a solo shot to right, his fifth of the year, to lead off the seventh. In the bottom half, Halloran and Pulcheon had back-to-back singled with two outs, then Depreta-Johnson singled to left to make the score, 7-6.
Grisham doubled in the eighth, then scored on Johnson's double off the wall in rightcenter to put SHSU back on top by two, 8-6.
Thomas led off the bottom of the eighth with a single, but was forced out at second on senior designated hitter
Joe Van Marter's failed sacrifice bunt. Van Marter reached on the fielder's choice, then Thames, who tossed a complete game in HBU's victory Saturday, was called on to pinch hit. Thames blasted a two-run homer to leftcenter, his first of the season, to tie the game, 8-8.
The Huskies will be on the road for their final Southland Conference series of the season against Stephen F. Austin Thursday through Saturday at Jaycees Field in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Southland Conference Tournament will be held at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, May 24-27.
