UTA Baseball Defeats ULM
{fshare id=6166}
MONROE, La. – A five-run eighth inning erased a late deficit for UT Arlington, as the Mavericks came away with a 10-6 comeback Sun Belt victory over ULM at Warhawk Field on Friday afternoon.
“It was a good comeback win,” UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. “After they took the lead in the bottom of the seventh, we came right back and got a five spot and had the big home run by Levi [Scott]. He’s a big, important piece to what we’re trying to do and [Travis] Sibley had a big two-out hit. There were just some really good at-bats in that inning and I thought our pitching did a good job. It was a tough day to pitch, kind of windy, but we did a good job.”
Clutch hitting helped push the Mavericks (14-14, 5-5) past the Warhawks (13-14, 3-7). UTA finished the day 3-of-5 with runners on third base, including six two-out RBI.
Sibley spurred the Mavericks offensively, going 3-of-4 with one run and one RBI. RJ Williams also came up big with a 3-of-4 performance that included a pair of runs.
Relief pitcher Jacob Moreland (2-1) picked up the win, pitching 3.2 innings while allowing five hits and two earned runs. Chad Nack was effective as the UTA starter, going 5.1 innings allowing 10 hits and four earned runs while striking out one.
After a scoreless first inning, the Mavericks got on the board first as
they pushed four across in the top of the second. Darien McLemore got UTA off to a good start with a lead-off single to right field. Eric Tate moved McLemore to second base as he sent a line drive up the middle for a single. After Williams loaded the bases as he was hit by a pitch, a walk of Brady Cox brought in UTA’s first run of the day.
In the next at-bat, Christian Hollie reached on a fielder’s choice that made room for Tate to cross the plate. The Mavericks’ final runs of the inning came off the bat of Matt McLean, whose single to center field brought in a pair of runs to put UTA on top 4-0.
After the Warhawks combined to score four total runs in the second, third and fourth innings, the Mavs brought in a go-ahead run when a wild pitch cleared way for McLean to cross the plate for a 5-4 lead.
After a two-run seventh for ULM inning put UTA behind 6-5, the Mavericks stormed back late with a five-run eighth inning highlighted by a three-run shot by Scott over the left field wall. The equalizing run came across for UTA with a sacrifice fly to left centerfield by McLean that scored Tate. Sibley was able to return the lead to the Mavs with a shot just over the head of the first baseman for a RBI single. Scott then tacked onto the lead in the next at-bat with his three-run shot that extended his hit streak to 14 straight games and put UTA on top 10-6.
The Mavericks recorded their 10 runs off of 12 hits with no errors. The Warhawks six runs came with 15 hits and a pair of errors.
“We’re just worried about Game 1,” Thomas said of Saturday’s doubleheader against ULM. “That’s what we talked about. With it being an early Friday game, it’s going to be odd. We’ll have a little time and just need to worry about Game 1 and when Game 2 gets here we’ll get after it then.”
The Mavericks will return to action on Saturday as they square off with the Warhawks in a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
