04/12/08 LU vs. Sam Houston State Beaumont, Texas 2:00 p.m./Sam Wins

[KFDM COOP]

Post scores here..

[TexasTerror]

SHSU 4-0 Top 2nd

Back to back RBI singles in the top of second allows two runs in...a WP allows a third run in.

[KFDM COOP]

Not surprised

[TexasTerror]

7-2 Bot 5, SHSU

Gallant, that was his fifth start this year last night...

The Kats starter today, Duguay, is just starting his second game of the season...

Kats have plenty of arms to be a threat in the SLC tournament and that's without our ace and All-SLC pitcher Jacob Howard who is out this year and may be out next year...wow!

[KFDM COOP]

I agree!

[KFDM COOP]

9-8 Sam 9th inning

[TexasTerror]

Ballgame. 9-8.

Kats take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series...

[UNLV]

Ballgame. 9-8.

Kats take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series...

win now, we win later...in the tourney.

[TexasTerror]

win now, we win later...in the tourney.

This coming from a program that has failed to find success in the SLC tournament as of late. Throw in the fact it's in Huntsville, that's going to help...if the pitching continues to be strong and the Kats get as high a seed as possible in order to draw a very winnable first game (though nothing is guaranteed in the "lowly" SLC as you guys like to call it), I like their odds...

[KFDM COOP]

Bearkats' bats create hard day for LU arms

SAM HOUSTON 9, LAMAR 8

By Tom Halliburton

The Port Arthur News

BEAUMONT -- Jim Gilligan's soft, friendly portion of the schedule has ended. That previous sentence can be applied to both Lamar's opposition and Jim's disposition.

  The more mellow, 62-year-old Lamar baseball coach has ventured in the direction of 1,100 career coaching victories. He never amassed that fabulous total by becoming everyone's good guy and friendly politician.

  After Saturday's 9-8 loss to Sam Houston State at Vincent-Beck Stadium, Lamar's players may be exposed to a meaner, rougher, less diplomatic Cardinals head coach for the rest of the 2008 season.

  To borrow an old song from Alice Cooper, "No More Mister Nice Guy" might serve as the appropriate Gilligan description after Sam Houston and Lamar changed their season records to 20-13. Mark Johnson and his more impressive Sam Houston bat swingers clinched this three-game series and prepared for today's series finale at 1 p.m.

  Meanwhile Gilligan and Lamar watched catchable fly balls drop without a glove in 15 feet of the ball at times. The starting pitcher struggled again, too. Yet on this great hitters' day, Jim moaned more about LU's inability to score ONLY eight runs on ONLY 11 hits. Lamar's too lame at-bats disturbed Jim more with a sturdy wind blowing to center field.

  The Cardinals trailed 7-0 halfway through this nine-inning affair. A five-run LU fifth helped but the Redbirds never nudged closer than within one run. Gilligan may have mellowed but such a loss to a nearby league rival would have pestered him anyway.

  "We should have caught up more," Gilligan rehashed. "There were too many feeble at-bats. Some of these guys are pulling this act for too long. It's becoming habitual... These were great conditions (for hitters)... We lost it with pitching and bad at-bats."

  Lamar may own the most deceptive 10-4 Southland Conference league mark, too. The young Cardinals have not matured as much as Gilligan would have hoped in many areas of this squad. They still have several tougher league and non-league games left in their season's second half.

  Gilligan would have hoped to have sandwiched an effective No. 2 starter to go in between lefties Brian Sisk (6-2) and Tim Erickson (4-0) but sophomore righthander Matt Morgal (3-2) surrendered six runs (all earned) on six hits in four innings.

  Bearkats' center fielder Keith Stein paced his team's 13-hit outburst with a 3-for-4 game including a two-run home run down the right field line in the fourth to complete the beat upon Morgal. Seth Hammock greeted LU's first reliever Justin Walker with a fifth-inning solo shot to left.

  Lamar matched Sam Houston's two home-run outing but the Bearkats led in extra-base knocks, 6-2, thanks to four doubles. Steven Tucker highlighted LU's fifth-inning rally with a three-run blast to center, his season's third. Travis Dunson followed with a seventh-inning, solo home run to leftcenter.

  Wade Mathis singled home David Moore from second and chased Jeff Vickers to third, trimming Lamar's deficit to 9-8 with two outs in the home eighth. Dunson came close to tying the game on the next play. He lined a grounder into a rally-ending force out. Bearkats' shortstop Ryan Weber briefly stumbled but still managed to complete the toss.

[UNLV]

win now, we win later...in the tourney.

This coming from a program that has failed to find success in the SLC tournament as of late. Throw in the fact it's in Huntsville, that's going to help...if the pitching continues to be strong and the Kats get as high a seed as possible in order to draw a very winnable first game (though nothing is guaranteed in the "lowly" SLC as you guys like to call it), I like their odds...

Exactly, going into the tourney after beating everyone hurts because of the revenge factor. Now we will be the team

with revenge on the mind while top teams will have the X on their backs. UTA in basketball...