HUNTSVILLE —- It took a little extra, but a huge five-run outburst in the 10th inning broke the game wide open and propelled Houston Christian University to a 7-2 win over Sam Houston State. The two teams battled for just over three hours on a drizzly, soggy Tuesday night at Bearkat Softball Complex before the late HCU rally.
HCU got on the board first, pushing across a pair of runs on three hits in the third.
Breana Herrera led off the inning with a sharp single up the middle. With one out,
AB Garcia lined a shot over the head of the left fielder for a double, putting runners on second and third.
Avery Drake then grounded out to short to drive in Herrera for a 1-0 lead.
Haylie Savage poked a single thru the middle of the diamond to bring in Garcia for the second run.
In the bottom half, the Bearkats got the runs right back, tying the game at 2-2 with the aid of a walk, error, hit and two sacrifice flies.
Goose eggs on the scoreboard would again ensue until the bottom of the sixth, when the Bearkats loaded the bases with two outs. HCU starter
Katy Janes wiggled her way out of the jam by inducing Sam Houston's Jordan Peno to pop out to third in foul territory, extinguishing the fire and keeping the game knotted at two apiece.
The game continued on into extra frames, and both teams put together good scoring chances in the eighth.
HCU got its first two on with a single from
Tabitha Burnett preceding
AB Garcia, who put down a sacrifice bunt and reached on an error. The Bearkats got out of the frame after
Avery Drake lined into a double play and
Jasie Roberts grounded into a forceout at third.
Sam would put two on with one out in the bottom of the frame, and
Lyndie Swanson came on in relief of Janes. Swanson would get Ellie Grill and Jordan Peno on consecutive groundouts to
Jackie Jessup at first to squelch the SHSU rally.
The teams moved deeper into the night, and in the 10th, the Huskies broke through with a crooked number.
Burnett singled to center and advanced on an error to get things started. Garcia chased her to third with a single up the middle and she advanced on a throw to home.
Drake would then walk to load the sacks. After Savage struck out, Roberts would put down a bunt, and the throw home went awry, allowing both Burnett and Garcia to cross the dish.
After
Autumn Sydlik went down on strikes,
Maggie Childs provided the back-breaker, a two-out single up the middle that drove in Drake and Roberts and give HCU at 6-2 lead.
Not quite done,
Mackenzie Morris would flare a ball just over third for a single, and Jessup singled through the right side to score Childs, capping off HCU's one-inning trip through the batting order.
The Huskies put 13 hits on the board for their seven runs, four players collecting two each. Garcia led HCU with her third straight two-hit outing, going 2-4 with two runs. Burnett went 2-3 with a run off the bench, while Savage and Sydlik each went 2-5.
Childs went 1-4 with the big two-run single to break things open, while Drake went 1-4 with two more stolen bases.
Janes,
the reigning Southland Pitcher of the Week, had another strong outing in the circle, going a season-high 7.1 innings and scattering seven hits with just the two third-inning runs allowed.
Swanson came on in the eighth, and kept the Bearkats at bay until the HCU bats broke out. She gave up just two hits in 2.2 innings to earn the win, evening her record a 5-5.
Jordan Peno went 2-4 and Emily Tell went 2-3 for the Bearkats. Daryn Grams (4-4) took the loss in relief, giving up four hits and five runs in two-thirds of an inning. Regan Dunn went nine for Sam, scattering eight hits and fanning five while giving up just the two third-inning runs.
NEXT UP:
The Huskies (12-16) finally return to Husky Field this weekend, having played just one home game thru their first 28 games of the season.
HCU will host Incarnate Word in a three-game Southland series that begins with a 4pm/6pm doubleheader on Friday. The two teams will then finish off the three-game set with a noon start on Saturday afternoon.
