April 21, 2009
Box Score
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Matt Shelton caught Dan Evatt looking with the potential tying run at first base in the top of the ninth as Sam Houston State upset ninth-ranked Baylor 9-8 in midweek action Tuesday night at Don Sanders Stadium. Baylor (25-13) has lost four of seven midweek games after starting the season 5-0 in midweek tilts. Sam Houston State (26-13) has won eight straight.
Baylor trailed 9-5 entering the ninth inning but put together a ferocious rally, most of which came with two outs. Joey Hainsfurther walked to open the inning but stayed at first until Dustin Dickerson's two-out single down the left-field line. Shaver Hansen followed with two-run double off the base of the wall in left-center to cut the deficit to 9-7. Aaron Miller followed with a single down the first-base line, scoring Hansen. Evatt, who earlier in the game blasted a two-run homer, fell behind 0-2 and was called out on strikes to end the game.
That made a winner of Sam Houston State starter Daniel Nottebart (1-0) in a predetermined 3.0-inning start. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Matt Shelton allowed a run on two hits but struck out Evatt to end the game and earn his second save of the season.
Nick Zaleski's two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning was a precursor of things to come for Sam Houston State. Miller answered with the first of two mammoth solo homers on the night. However, the Bearkats responded with a two-run second, a two-run third and a two-run fifth to stake an 8-1 lead.
Baylor got back in the game with a three-run sixth, all coming with two outs. Miller doubled to center, and Evatt followed with a two-run blast off the light standard in left-center. Ben Booker then doubled and scored on a Brooks Kimmey single. Sam Houston State added what proved to be the game-deciding run on a two-out passed ball in sixth before Miller's tape-measure shot to right in the top of the eighth.
Starter Willie Kempf (4-2) took the loss for the Bears, who have now lost three consecutive one-run games in an eight-day span after winning 10 consecutive one-run affairs. Kempf allowed four runs on six hits with one walk in 2.0 innings.
Miller finished the night 4-for-5 with three runs and three RBI, extending his hitting streak to 13 games. Dickerson's ninth-inning single pushed his career-long hitting streak to 24 games, the third longest in Baylor history. His streak is the longest in the Big 12 this season and tied for the seventh-longest in the league's 13-year history. Booker was 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Chris Slater was 2-for-3 in his first start of the season.
Baylor returns to action Wednesday, hosting Texas State for a 6:30 p.m. CDT first pitch at Baylor Ballpark. The game originally was scheduled for April 21 but was moved to Wednesday in order to accommodate the rescheduled Sam Houston State game. Tickets for the April 21 game against Texas State will be honored Wednesday.
NOTES: Baylor leads the all-time series 56-38, but the series is tied 24-24 in meetings at Huntsville. The Bears are 9-3 against the Bearkats during head coach Steve Smith's tenure. .... Baylor drops to 7-7 on the road this season, including a 5-6 mark on opponents' home fields. ... Baylor lost with Kempf starting on the mound for the first time since the Texas A&M series finale last season, snapping a five-game winning streak in Kempf starts. The Bears are 13-4 in his 17 career starts, including a 4-1 mark this season. ... Raynor Campbell extended his hitting streak to seven games.
