Sam Houston State baseball avoided the home-and-home series sweep as the Bearkats beat Baylor 4-2 Wednesday in Waco.
SHSU entered game two of the home-and-home series in hopes of a quick turn around after Tuesday’s loss in extra innings.
The Kats took a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning Wednesday, scoring four runs on just as many hits. The middle of the lineup produced all four RBIs for the Kats as the only offense for the whole nine innings. However, the Bears answered back in the sixth inning with a pair of runs to cut the lead to two, but the Bears could not finish the comeback.
Sophomore Dylan Ebbs pitched a gem with five and two-thirds innings. The Bears scored two runs off six hits while Ebbs was on the mound.
The win overcame a nail-bitter at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday in game one of the home-and-home series between the two teams.
The Kats went into the series with a 9-11 record and while their offense has been a success, their defense has had some problems. With the Kats having commit 42 errors, SHSU head coach Matt Deggs decided to make some changes to the infield. Senior outfielder Colt Atwood moved to second base and sophomore catcher and outfielder Hunter Courson took third base. While both players have slight experience at such positions, the infield did not miss a beat in Tuesday’s match.
Baylor started things off hot at the plate as the Bears took an early 2-0 lead. The Kats answered by putting three runs on the board including a two-run blast from Courson. Baylor tied things up in the seventh inning, forcing the game to go into extra innings. The Bears broke the tie in the top of the tenth inning and eventually won game one 4-3.
The home-and-home series will be the only time these two teams see each other in the 2015 regular season.
The Kats face another quick turn-around as they host Southland conference foe Nicholls State this weekend. The now 10-12 Kats take on the 11-8-1 Colonels in a three-game series this weekend to continue SLC play.
First pitch for game one is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Don Sanders Stadium.
