Photo by Rwanda Tua’a
The good times keep on rolling as Sam Houston Bearkat baseball takes down the Kansas State Wildcats 8-3 Saturday night in the Karbach Round Rock Classic.
It was set up as a offensive showdown between the Bearkats (5-2, 0-0) and Wildcats (4-3, 0-0).
Sam Houston were coming off of scoring six runs against the Iowa Hawkeyes a little less than 24 hours before.
Kansas State was also going up against Bearkat starter senior left-handed-pitcher Steven Beard coming off a bad outing on Feb. 18 against the Rhode Island Rams when he gave up six earned runs over three innings in the loss.
But Beard came to play.
He threw a masterclass of a game with seven scoreless innings allowing only four hits, one walk and one run, which was earned.
He garnered six strikeouts.
It is what exactly what the lefty needed after a tough outing.
The offense backed him up too as they kept up the aggressive approach at the plate.
The scoring started early as sophomore catcher Walker Janek hit a run-batted-in groundout in the first inning.
Senior infielder Myles Jefferson then it a RBI single in the second inning to make it 2-0.
In the next inning junior infielder Easton Loyd hit an infield RBI single to the pitcher.
It was unearned after junior outfielder Clayton Chadwick reached on an error beforehand.
The errors would be a problem for the Wildcats.
Jefferson would then hit a RBI double in the fourth inning to make it 4-0 Bearkats.
Kansas State, however, would not go down without a fight.
Wildcat junior infielder hit a solo home run in the seventh inning to bring it to 4-1. It was the lone run Steven Beard gave up.
Junior transfer right-handed-pitcher Miles Hellums would relieve Beard.
The Wildcats took the opportunity.
Redshirt sophomore infielder/outfielder Brady Day hit a two-RBI double to center field in “no man’s land” when Jefferson could not make a tough catch.
Hellems was able to work his way out of it but the game was now at 4-3 heading to the ninth inning.
Kansas State was in striking range.
It did not last long.
After a single by junior infielder Justin Wishkoski and an infield error that got senior outfielder Carlos Contreras to first base and Wishkoski to third, Janek stepped up again.
The Portland, Texas, native roped a two-RBI double down the leftfield line to make it 6-3.
Then a batter later, Eason Loyd hit his first home run of the season to make it 8-3.
It was the insurance the Bearkats ordered.
Sophomore LHP Braden Davis then came in for the bottom of the ninth inning and shut down the Wildcats to win it.
Davis went perfect with three strikeouts.
Steven Beard got his first win of the season.
Wildcat redshirt freshman RHP Jack Wentworth took the loss after throwing 3.2 innings allowing 10 hits and four runs. Three were earned.
Janek went 1-for-5 with three RBI.
Jefferson had a good game going 2-for-5 with two RBI.
Perhaps the best plate performance was Loyd after going 3-for-5 with three RBI.
The Bearkats as an offense got 10 hits. That is now 25 hits total over the first two games of the Karbach round Rock Classic.
Sam Houston now awaits for the finale of the Karbach Round Rock Classic as they will face the number one team in the country Louisiana State University Tigers on Sunday.
It will arguably be the biggest game of the season for the Sam Houston Bearkats.
The game will be broadcasted at d1baseball.com and on an audio broadcast on the Bearkat Sports Network.
First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.
