May 2, 2004
Box Score
LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana - The wheels came off for the Texas-Arlington baseball in the seventh inning as four McNeese State hits and three Maverick errors led to four runs and turned a one-run lead into a three-run deficit in falling 9-5 to the Cowboys in the first game of a doubleheader at the Cowboy Diamond.
Chris Fontenot started the inning with a single up the middle and was sacrificed to second. Charlie Kingery followed with a double to left field to tie the game. Josh Fontenot followed with a single to right before the Mavs would commit errors on each of the next three plays to allow three more runs to score.
The Mavericks (26-21, 10-10 SLC) got on the board early as Kasey Baker ripped the first pitch of the game to left field for a double. Aaron Batlle followed with a hot shot to first and Hunter Pence plated Baker with a solid single through the left side. After a wild pitch advanced the runners into scoring position, Batlle came in to score on a fielding error by Shawn Yarbrough off the bat of Ryan Nelson.
The Cowboys (22-23, 9-11 SLC) got the offense rolling the fourth inning as Chris Fontenot doubled down the right field line to start the inning and Brian Bernhardt followed with a bunt base hit to put runners on the corners. Kingery plated the run with a single through the right side and advanced all the way to third when the ball rolled passed Baker in right field. Josh Fontenot would plate the run with a single to left center and would come around to score on a Dustin Schroer fielder's choice.
UTA got a run back in the sixth inning as Batlle started things with a single through the right side. With two outs, Preston singled up the middle and Paul Bruder followed with an RBI single to center field. Dane Ryan followed with a single through the left side and Preston was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Chris Fontenot.
The Mavs got the lead back in the seventh inning as Brett Lewis singled to center field and Aaron Cook sacrificed him to second. Baker would plate Lewis with a single to right center field. After Batlle moved Baker up with a single to left field, Pence hit a grounder to second base that went through the legs Bernhardt allowing the go ahead run to score.
MSU added a run in the eighth as Chris Fontenot started things with a double down the right field line and scored on a Kingery single to left passed a drawn-in infield.
Batlle led the Mavs with three hits, while Baker, Preston and Bruder each had two. Josh Fontenot had four hits for the Cowboys, while Chris Fontenot and Kingery each had three.
Jake Baxter (4-5) took the loss after allowing six earned runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings. Rusty Begnaud (6-3) earned the victory by allowing one hit in 2.2 innings of relief.
The Mavs and Cowboys will close out the series with the second game of the doubleheader thirty minutes after the completion of game one.
