March 9, 2004
Box Score
ARLINGTON, Texas - Texas-Arlington took advantage of costly Baylor miscue in the third inning to score three uneearned runs enroute to a 5-1 victory over the Bears Tuesday evening at Clay Gould Ballpark.
The win was the fourth straight for the Mavericks, while the Bears have lost their sixth straigtht and 10 of their last 11.
The three-run third was more than enough as UTA starter Jake Baxter struck out 12 hitters in 8.1 innings to improve his season record to 2-2. Baxter allowed one unearned run in 8.1 innings of work.
UTA (8-6) capitalized on the mistake in the third as Kasey Baker hit a one-out single up the middle and Hunter Pence executed a perfect hit-and-run with two outs to put runners on the corners. Ryan Nelson hit a ground ball to the BU shortstop Kyle Reynolds who bobbled the ball and allowed the first run to score. The next two batters increased the damage as Paul Bruder and Dane Ryan connected on back-to-back run producing singles.
Baxter settled into the game over the next few innings as he struck out six of seven batters, including four straight to keep the advantage at three.
The Mavericks stretched the lead in the seventh when Josh McSpadden singled to center field to score Darrell Preston from third after Preston hit a pinch-hit single to left field.
UTA's fifth run of the game came the hard way in the ninth inning as the only hit came when catcher Brett Lewis was drilled by a Zane Carlson pitch. Lewis would advance to second on a wild pitch and third on a Baker groundout before ulitmately scoring on the second wild pitch of the inning.
BU (4-11) got its only run of the game in the ninth inning as a pair of Mavericks errors and a Mike Pankratz sacrifice fly spoiled Baxter's bid for a shutout.
Mark Lowe came in to record the final two outs in his seventh appearance of the season. Cory VanAllen (1-2) took the loss after allowing three unearned runs on six hits in 3.1 innings of work.
Bruder led the Maverick offense by going 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Pence, Ryan and McSpadded each added a pair of hits. Kyle Reynolds led the Bears with three hits.
The Mavericks return to action tomorrow afternoon as they travel to Norman, Okla. to take on #20 Oklahoma. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park and will feature the pitching matchup of UTA's Derek Brehm and OU's Garrett Patterson.
