Mar 19th, 2007 04:08AM
by:

By STEVE EAST
UCA SID

CONWAY — The Sam Houston State Bearkats got a pair of home runs from Bobby Verbick among their 13 hits and downed the University of Central Arkansas Bears 8-5 in Southland Conference play Saturday (March 17).

The loss was the first of the season at home for the Bears (9-8,1-1). SHSU improved to 14-8 and 1-1.

Verbick, a junior designated hitter, hit a two-run shot to right in the fifth and added another two-run homer to left in the seventh inning. He finished 2 for 3 with four RBI.

SHSU starter Jacob Howard (4-2) went seven innings for the victory and left with a 7-4 lead. Jason Prihoda relieved him in the eighth after the first two UCA batters reached. He allowed an RBI single to Graham Martin but got out of the inning, stranding two.

After the Bearkats added another insurance run in the top of the ninth, Prihoda struck out the side, all looking, in the bottom of the inning to close it out for his seventh save.

For UCA, senior Matt Warren led off the fourth inning with a home run, his fourth of the season. He added another RBI on a groundout in the next inning. Kevin Rawls and Graham Martin both had two hits and an RBI apiece for UCA, which managed only eight hits for the game.

The teams complete the series with a 1 p.m. start on Sunday.