HUNTSVILLE, Texas - HBU took an early lead, but Sam Houston State rallied for three runs in the fourth en route to a 6-2 victory in the Southland Conference series finale Sunday afternoon at Don Sanders Stadium.
Senior second baseman
Trent Franson went 4-for-5 with two doubles and scored twice, while senior first baseman
Johnny Gonzales went 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI for the Huskies (5-11, 2-1 SLC). Junior catcher
Todd Jackson was 2-for-4 with an RBI and senior rightfielder
Brandon Bena singled to extend his hitting streak to six games. HBU outhit SHSU, 13-11, but stranded 10 runners on base.
Senior lefthander
Solomon Klimeck (0-3) gave up five runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 4.1 innings. Sophomore righthander
Chris Burns allowed a run on three hits with three strikeouts in relief.
Gavin Johnson went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run, while Eric Bohnert went 2-for-3 with a double and scored twice for the Bearkats (7-7, 1-2). Jack Rogers went 2-for-3 with a double and scored a run, Dee Shelton went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and scored and Colton Cowser singled and drove in two runs.
Matt Dillard (2-1) earned the win out of the bullpen, shutting the Huskies out on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks in five innings. Starter Caleb Cannon allowed two runs on six hits with a strikeout in three innings.
The Huskies jumped out to a lead in the first, when Franson doubled and Jackson plated him with an RBI single.
The Bearkats answered in the second as Vines singled, then Johnson doubled to right to tie the game.
HBU regained the lead in the third as Franson and Gonzales put together back-to-back doubles for a 2-1 lead.
With two outs and no runners on in the fourth, SHSU got another double from Johnson, Eric Bohnert walked, then Shelton delivered a two-run double to left to put the Bearkats ahead 3-2. Cowser followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 4-2.
Rogers led off the fifth with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Anthony MacKenzie to give the Bearkats a 5-2 lead. SHSU added a run in the eighth when Bohnert doubled, then came home on Cowser's RBI groundout.
The Huskies return home for seven of their next eight, beginning a four-game homestand with a non-conference matchup against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Husky Field.
