Azar Gives Sam Houston State Walk-off Win in Elimination Game
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Designated hitter Anthony Azar
lifted a walk-off home run over the left field fence as No. 1 seed Sam Houston
State avenged its first round loss to No. 8 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
and stayed alive in the 2012 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament Friday at
Bobcat Ball Park.
The first-pitch, lead-off home run in the bottom of the ninth gave
Sam Houston (38-19) a 4-3 victory as the Bearkats ended the season for the
Islanders. A&M-Corpus Christi (24-33 ) upset the Bearkats 9-2 in the first
round Wednesday.
Sam Houston moves on to face No. 4 seed UT-Arlington Friday at 4
p.m.
The Bearkats built a 3-0 lead as starting pitcher Michael Oros
allowed the Islanders only one hit and three base runners in the first five
innings. But A&M-Corpus Christi tied the contest with a three-run sixth
inning to set up Azar's late heroics.
Sam Houston totaled nine hits while the Islanders ended the day
with eight. But A&M-Corpus Christi left eight runners stranded including
runners in scoring position in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
Michael Burchett (4-2) was the winning pitcher for the Bearkats,
working the final inning and one third. Phillip Garcia (0-2) was the loser for A&M-Corpus
Christi.
The Bearkats picked up an early run in the bottom of the second
inning. First baseman Ryan O'Hearn earned a leadoff walk, moved to second on a
single by designated hitter Anthony Azar and scored on right fielder Jake
Arrington's shot to center field.
Shortstop Corey Toups scored a second run in the bottom of the
third. The freshman singled, was sacrificed to second and reached third on a
botched pickoff attempt. Left fielder Luke Plucheck brought Toups home with a
sacrifice fly to center field.
Hale led off the Bearkats' fifth inning with a solo home run to
left field, the senior's second homer of the year.
The Islanders tied the game with three runs in the top of the
sixth. Left fielder Jordan Lee and designated hitter Jonathan Gonzalez produced
back-to-back one out singles.
Third baseman Weston Montgomery scored Lee with a double down the
left field line. Second baseman Jeramie Marek tied the contest with a double
off the wall in left center.
If the Bearkats can defeat UT Arlington, the pair will meet again
Saturday to decide which squad will play in the championship game later in the
day.
Postgame Quotes
Sam
Houston State coach David Pierce
On
Anthony Azar's walk-off home run
"He's a great hitter. He's been hurt for a long time, so it's just good to have
him back in the lineup. Any time of the game he can do that. He got a pitch he
was ready for, and won the game for us."
On
the end of the game
"There were a lot of scenarios we were looking at, but we got
exactly what we needed out of Allen Scott and Michael Burchett. I was glad it
ended (in the ninth) because we need our pitchers to be rested for the rest of
the tournament."
Sam
Houston State designated hitter Anthony Azar
On
the game winning walk-off home run
"I was sitting fastball. I wanted to put my best swing on it, and ended up
getting the barrel on it and it went over the fence. I just wanted to hit
something hard to put it in play, and give my team the best chance to win.
"We just played well as a team. Our team is tough."
Texas
A&M Corpus Christi coach Scott Malone
"There's no other way I'd want to go out. We had our best guy on
the mound. Phillip Garcia has been with us for four years. He's our closer, and
he started hanging zeros on the scoreboard today to let us get back in the
game. We went out at the end throwing strikes down the middle. (Sam Houston
State) is a great team. We've played them five times this year, and had them on
the ropes every time, so I told our players to have their chins up feeling good
about our season."
On
the seniors' impact
"We have great seniors with a lot of heart and a lot of character. We brought
Santiago Ruiz in to be our backup catcher, and he's been our starter for a year
and a half. That's the kind of heart and soul our whole team has. Today was the
first time we've been down three runs, and I was so proud of our guys for
coming back late and getting back in the fight at the end. It was a tough way
to go, but I'm really proud of these guys for a great season."
On momentum going into next year
"We've got some good young players. I told them to hold onto that sting for
awhile, and make sure we're back here every year."