May 21, 2011
Final Stats
Photo Gallery
ARLINGTON, Tex. - UT Arlington lost the continuation of Friday's game to No. 25 Texas State, 4-2, before winning the rubber match of the series 9-3 Saturday afternoon at Clay Gould Ballpark.
The Mavericks started the final day of the regular season with a chance to advance to the Southland Conference Tournament. However, their loss in the continuation of Friday's game coupled with Lamar's win at Stephen F. Austin eliminated UTA contention before the conclusion of Game 3.
The Game 3 win meant UT Arlington wrapped up its season by winning two of three against the regular-season Southland Conference champion Bobcats.
"It stinks coming up one game short of making the tournament, but that's not about this weekend," UTA coach Darin Thomas said. "We were coming off just a brutal loss to Lamar last Sunday and we had four games against top-25 teams left and we didn't give in. We couldn't have played any better. It just didn't break our way.
"The message in this is you just can't give games away at any point in the season. We will learn from this and we will get it corrected.
"The people I really feel for are our seniors. They did a lot for this program. They were good players on the field, they were all good students and they were all just really good people. We will miss them a lot and I wish we could have gotten it done for them."
The Mavericks erupted for a five-run frame in the fifth, compiling six hits in the inning and staking a 5-3 lead. Ryan Walker had the big hit, driving a three-run double down the first-base line, just past Texas State first baseman Casey Kalenkosky's diving attempt.
Preston Beck and Jesse Payne added RBI hits in the inning.
Philip Incaviglia drove home another run with an RBI single in the sixth.
The Mavs added three runs in the eighth, including an RBI from Preston Beck.
John Beck earned the win to improve to 3-3 on the season. The true freshman hurled 7.0 innings, holding Texas State to three runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out four.
Collin Reynolds earned his third save of the season by throwing the final 2.0 innings.
Preston Beck and Jordan Vaughn paced the Mavericks offensively with three hits apiece. Walker and Brian Nephew added two hits each.
Andrew Stumph led the Bobcats by going 2-for-5 with four RBI.
Earlier in the day, UT Arlington's Kasey Merck and Texas State's Jeff McVaney picked up Friday's pitcher's duel. Both threw scoreless frames in the 10th. McVaney had to pitch out of trouble in the 10th, getting out of a jam with two on and two out when he gloved a Philip Incaviglia hotshot up the middle.
The Bobcats scored their runs in the 11th on Kyle Kubitza's bases-loaded walk and Kalenkosky's sacrifice fly.
UTA had its first two runners reach base on walks to start the 11th, but was unable to bring either in.
The first nine innings featured strong pitching performances from Texas State ace Carson Smith and closer Joseph Dvorsky and UT Arlington hurlers Michael Oberto and Adam Westbrook.
Smith lasted 7.0 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He walked five and struck out eight.
Oberto started for the Mavericks and lasted 3.2 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with four walks.
Westbrook came in and ended the fourth inning. He allowed a leadoff double and then settled into a groove, retiring 13 consecutive hitters before Clint Vest broke the string with a pinch-hit single in the ninth.
Texas State scored a couple in the third - one on a throwing error and another when Cory Falvey singled home Andrew Stumph.
UT Arlington pushed across its first run in the fourth when Cody Dyvig scored on a two-out wild pitch.
Brian Nephew tied the game in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Nick Orr.
Before the resumption of Game 2 in the series, Chad Comer, Bryant Lopez, Nephew, Orr, Payne and Mark Picca were honored as part of Senior Day festivities.
