Lima's Two Hits Lead 'Jacks in Second Game of Sunday DH with Sam Houston State

Sunday, April 14

Nacogdoches, Texas

2:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

16-21, 0

Sam Houston State

22-11, 0

Sam Houston State

Stephen F. Austin

Photo by: SFA Athletics

Lima's Two Hits Lead 'Jacks in Second Game of Sunday DH with Sam Houston State

4/14/2019 6:24:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

SFA drops home series to Bearkats for first time since 2013

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Media Relations

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Seeking its third consecutive series win over Sam Houston State at Jaycees Field, the SFA baseball team was denied that opportunity by a Bearkat squad that pounded out 12 hits and scored four of the game's first five runs through the first four frames en route to a 6-3 win during the second game of a Southland Conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon.

SFA, which dropped its third consecutive Southland Conference series, came up with seven hits against the league-leading Bearkats and sit in fourth place in the league standings after the three-game set with their arch-rivals from the Piney Woods.

SCORING SUMMARY
T1 | Wanting to forget all about the middle game of the series, Sam Houston State set the tone from the game's first batter. Leadoff man Colton Coswer launched a solo shot off of SFA starter Jaxon Covington on the game's third pitch to give the visitors a lead they wouldn't give up.

T3 | Before Covington ended the Bearkats' third with his fourth and final strikeout of the afternoon, Sam Houston State upped its lead to 3-0. Cowser and Jack Rogers came up with one-out singles that put runners at the corners and set up Hunter Hearn to drive in another run. Hearn lofted a flyout to foul ground in left field that allowed Cowser to score from third before Jordan Cannon drilled a 1-0 offering from Covington through the left side of SFA's infield for an RBI single.

B3 | The 'Jacks' broke up the Bearkats' shutout bid in their two-hit third. Skylar Black drew a four-pitch walk to start the frame before Nick Daley and Brandon Uhse loaded the bases by striking for consecutive singles. Manny Vasquez skied a deep fly ball to right field that went in the books as a sacrifice fly. Black came home on that deep fly and trimmed the Bearkats' lead to 3-1.

T4 | Covington needed just four pitch to get the first two outs of the fourth, but getting the third proved problematic. After giving up a walk and a single to put runners on first and second, the freshman was pulled for senior left-hander Tyler Starts. Down to his final strike against Starks, Cowser delivered for the second time by rapping an RBI single to right that pushed the Bearkats' lead to 4-1.

B4 | Jake Georgiades reached on a dropped fly ball in right field to start the 'Jacks' fourth and the Bearkats' lone error of the game helped SFA pull within two once again. Following a one-out single off the bat of Antonio Lima, Black dropped an RBI double just inside fair territory to left field that plated Georgiades and made matters 4-2.

T8 | Jesus Gamez came on to pitch for the 'Jacks in the eighth and Sam Houston State greeted the senior right-hander with a leadoff double by Gavin Johnson. After Riley McKnight reached on an errant throw on his sacrifice bunt try, Jackson Loftin extended the Bearkats' lead to three with a sacrifice fly that plated Johnson.

T9 | Leading 5-3 headed into the game's final inning, the Bearkats added their final final run with some two-out hitting. Cannon took a four-pitch walk with two outs before swiping second which allowed Harp to come up with an RBI single to left-center that pushed the visitors' lead to 6-2.

B9 | Continuing his good day at the dish, Lima drove a double off the wall in left center to get the bottom of the ninth started. The senior infielder raced to third on a groundout by pinch hitter Kyle Cullen and scored SFA's final run of the game when Jordan Monacy grounded out to second base.

AT THE DISH
• Lima finished with team-high honors in the hit department, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
• SFA posted four doubles in the setback, getting once each from Black, Josh Campbell, Georgiades and Lima.
• Cowser, the Bearkats' leadoff man, led the visitors' 12-hit attack by going 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
• Rogers added three more hits and a run for the Bearkats. Sam Houston State's three through nine-hole hitters finished just 5-for-26 (.192) in the series finale.

ON THE HILL
• Covington (3-4) suffered the loss by giving up four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four.
• Starks did a fine job of keeping the Bearkats' bats at bay and giving the 'Jacks a chance on offense. The senior fanned five and gave up four hits through 2 1/3 innings of work out of the bullpen before handing things over to senior righty Trayson Kubo who tossed a scoreless seventh.
• Nick Mikolajchak (3-3) evened his 2019 record by scattering six hits and giving up two runs through six frames of work. He racked up six of the Bearkats' nine strikeouts with relief man Cody Wolf picking up the other three.
• Wolf notched his first save of the year by giving up one hit and one run through the final three frames.

ON DECK
• With no midweek game on the docket, the 'Jacks will continue their string of six-straight Southland Conference contests by heading south to Corpus Christi, Texas, for a three-game series at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The rare Thursday-Friday-Saturday series opens at 6:00 p.m. Thursday evening with Alex Palmer set to get the start for the 'Jacks.

-SFA-