Despite being shut out Tuesday, Sam Houston State’s baseball team got revenge over Rice on Wednesday to split the home-and-home series.

In game two, the Bearkats jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning as juniors Miles Manning and Zach Smith scored off a wild pitch and an RBI fielder’s choice. The Kats added five runs in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead, but the Owls answered back in the following inning scoring four of their own. SHSU added an insurance run in the seventh and a three-run bomb from birthday boy junior Spence Rahm who brought the final score to 11-4.

“Rice is a great program,” SHSU head coach Matt Deggs said. “[They’re] a potential World Series type team, so I’m really proud of the way that we responded tonight.”

Rice took care of business in game one on Tuesday as they shutout the Kats in Houston. The Owls relied on a three-run home run in the seventh inning and another run in the ninth to beat the Kats 4-0. Freshman Bryce Johnson and sophomore Dylan Ebbs each supplied a hit for the Kats’ only offense throughout the game. Sophomore Sam Odom delivered six strong innings on the mound for SHSU, only allowing four hits before the Owls took advantage in the seventh.

The Kats move to 13-14 for the season and only four of the Kats’ next 19 games are at home. SHSU will be back at Don Sanders Stadium on April 7 to host Northwestern State.

SHSU travels to Conway, Arkansas to take on Southland Conference opponent Central Arkansas this weekend. The Kats, Bears and McNeese State all sit at 6-3 in the SLC in a three-way tie for third.

“We need to continue to be the same team every day,” Deggs said. “The best is yet to come from this group.”

First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bear Stadium. Saturday’s game will begin at 4 p.m. and the series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.