Stephen F. Austin
Sam Houston State
'Jacks Rally Past Bearkats, 3-2
4/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin 3, Sam Houston State 2
Jaycees Field · Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (11-19, 5-7 SLC); SHSU (14-18, 7-6 SLC)
Up Next: vs. Sam Houston State · Friday, Apr. 3 · 1 p.m.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Trailing by a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, Stephen F. Austin notched a pair of runs to take the lead, then held off Sam Houston State in the ninth to take the 3-2 victory at Jaycees Field in the first game of the three-game series.
The win gives SFA its third-straight victory, improving to 11-19 on the year and 5-7 in Southland Conference play. It snapped a four-game losing skid to the Bearkats, who fall to 14-18 on the year and 7-6 in SLC play.
With Sam Houston State leading 2-1 after notching the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth, Nick Ramos drew a walk, followed by a single to right from Kyle Thornell that advanced Ramos to third. But the Bearkat second baseman mishandled the relay, allowing Ramos to advance home, tying the game at 2-2.
Garrett McMullen then sent a high fly ball to the gap in left center and the strong winds that had settled into Nacogdoches proved to give a home field advantage, causing the SHSU centerfielder to drop the pop-up and advancing Thornell to third.
Thornell then got a good jump and was able to steal third as McMullen advanced to second, putting a pair of runners in scoring position with one out. After a Dan O'Neill strikeout, pinch hitter Conner Fikes send a hard chopper back up the middle, causing the second baseman to take an extra second to handle the hit and buying just enough time for Fikes to reach first, bringing home Thornell for the go-ahead run.
Patrick Ledet then sent the Bearkats down in order in the ninth, picking up the win after pitching two innings and allowing no hits. That performance came after a solid quality start from Cameron Gann who went 7.0 innings and allowed two runs on three hits, two of which came in the top of the ninth, while registering seven strikeouts on the night.
SFA's pitching and defense held Sam Houston State to just three hits on the night, including one through the first seven innings of play. The one hit proved to be a big one as the Bearkats doubled in the fourth inning, then scored on a Lumberjack error to take the early 1-0 lead.
The `Jacks answered in the fifth as with two outs in the frame, Eric DeJesus drew a walk, Matthew Dickey singled and Hunter Wilson was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Ramos was hit by a pitch as well, allowing DeJesus to trot home from third to tie the game at 1-1.
SHSU reclaimed the lead in the eighth off a sacrifice fly with runners at the corners and just one out. But a tough 6-4-3 double play for the Lumberjacks ended the Bearkat threat and set up the dramatic eighth inning rally.
SFA out-hit their rivals 10-3 on the night, led by a pair of hits each from Dickey, Ramos and Thornell. O'Neill, Fikes, DeJesus and Anthony Soriano recored the other four with Fikes picking up the lone RBI of the night for the `Jacks.
The Lumberjacks and Bearkats return to Jaycees Field for the second game of the three-game series Friday afternoon. The game has been bumped up to a 1 p.m. start to try and avoid the projected thunderstorms later in the afternoon as LHP Dillon Mangham will get the start for SFA.
-SFA-
