Shadowcats shut out River Monsters 3-0 to end losing streak

The Sherman Shadowcats shut out the San Antonio River Monsters 3-0 at home on July 16, ending a losing streak for the first-year club. The Texas Collegiate League's game recap credited the result to a start from Spencer Bass and relief help from two teammates.

The league recap credited Sherman's pitching staff with the shutout. Bass, the starter, worked 6.1 scoreless innings and gave up both of the two hits San Antonio collected on the night, according to that recap. Brody Mahan and Edwin Nunez followed him out of the bullpen and finished the shutout, the recap said. Because both of San Antonio's hits came against Bass, the two relievers did not surrender one, based on the recap's figures. The three pitchers combined to hold the River Monsters to two hits and keep them off the scoreboard.

The loss dropped San Antonio to 17-16, and the club sat fourth in the Texas Collegiate League's official overall standings around the time of the game. That record left the River Monsters one game above .500 in a league the TCL now counts at eight franchises.

For Sherman, the result reversed a recent slide. The Shadowcats had lost the night before, on July 15, to the Victoria Generals, and Victoria's report on that game described the outcome as a sweep of Sherman. By that account, the July 16 shutout closed a losing streak of at least one game for the newcomers, who are playing their debut TCL season in 2026. The win came at home against San Antonio, which was listed fourth in the TCL overall standings around the game.

Both franchises are early in their runs in their current cities. Sherman joined the Texas Collegiate League for the 2026 season, and the league said the club's arrival, along with Abilene's, expanded the circuit to eight teams. San Antonio is also new to its home this year. The River Monsters have said their 2026 season runs 48 games, split into two halves of 24 games each, with the postseason scheduled to begin after July 26.

The San Antonio club brings a longer league history than its new address suggests. The franchise played in Seguin before the move, and the TCL reported that the Seguin River Monsters won the 2023 league championship by beating Brazos Valley 3-1.