April 7, 2006
Box Score
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Lamar Cardinals brought the league's best offense to Arlington and quickly scored six runs in the first three innings to take the air out of the Mavericks in handing UT-Arlington its first conference loss of the season, 10-3, Friday evening at Clay Gould Ballpark.
"Offensively we got over matched by probably one of the best conference starters that we have faced so far this season," said head coach Jeff Curtis. "They played better than we did with the conditions and got the home run early and the they hit the ball much better that us. There pitcher had a lot to do with that."
LU starter Steve Macfarland (6-1) was the difference maker as he went eight strong innings and struck out 12 Maverick batters. He allowed three runs on eight hits on a day where the wind was blowing straight out to left at 20-30 miles an hour. LU (23-11, 11-2 SLC) got on the board in the first inning as Erik Kanaby reached as he took the first pitch of the game down the first base line for a bunt base hit. Ryan Baker advanced the runner to third with an infield chopper that skipped under the glove of the shortstop. The Cardinals plated the run as the Mavs turned a double play. Dan Hernandez followed with a base on balls before Dan Hernandez got a ball up in the wind for his 10th home run of the season.
The top of the order struck again for the Cardinals in the third as Kanaby was hit by the first pitch of the inning and Baker blooped a single into right field. With one out, Hernandez' fly ball to center turned into a double as the wind blew the ball into left center, scoring a run. Henderson followed with a sacrifice fly to center field and C.J. Ebarb drove in the third run with a bloop into to right.
UTA (14-18, 10-1 SLC) got a pair of runs back in the fifth as Kyle Rudy singled up the middle with one out and went to third on Daniel Rieder's two-out double just inside the bag at first. Danny Slinkman drove in both runners with a single into left center.
The Cardinals struck again in the seventh as Baker and DeLome singled to start the inning. With two outs, Ebarb lined a ball off Mavs starting pitcher Ryan Riddle for the first run and Matt Lambeth greeted the new pitcher with a two-run triple into the gap in right center.
UTA got a run back in the eighth as Adam Moore doubled to left center to start the inning and scored on Brock Wilson's double to the wall in left field.
The Cardinals added a run in the ninth as DeLome reached on an error, and following a double from Hernandez, scored on a sacrifice fly of the bat of Ebarb.
Riddle (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season as he allowed nine runs on 13 hits in 6.2 innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Slinkman led the Mavs offense with a pair of hits and two RBIs. Baker and Ebarb collected three hits for the Cards.
The Mavs and Cardinals will play the second game of the series tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. at Clay Gould Ballpark.
