April 26, 2013
Final Stats
Game 2 Starters:
UTA - Zach Thompson (5-2, 4.39 ERA) vs. NMS - Ryan Beck (5-3, 6.33 ERA)
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - Greg McCall drove in five runs and Brad Vachon picked up his fifth win, and UT Arlington defeated New Mexico State 9-5 Friday night at Presley Askew Field in the opener of a three-game Western Athletic Conference series.
The Mavericks improved to 23-19 overall and 11-5 in conference, while the Aggies dropped to 23-20 and 8-8. The series continues Saturday with a 7 p.m. start and concludes Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.
"It was a tough first night against a good pitcher," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "I thought our pitchers were good. All three guys did well. It's an offensive park and to hold them to five is a good job. We played very well."
Vachon, staked to an 8-0 lead through four innings, upped his mark to 5-3 after working seven-plus innings and giving up three runs on eight hits.
McCall, in the cleanup spot due to the late scratch of Justin Copeland, came up with runners on base in his first three at-bats. McCall (2-4) delivered each time to post a career-high RBI total, which included a three-run home run to center in the fourth.
Ryan Walker, Matt Shortall and Brandon Lawrence also had multiple-hit evenings, as the Mavericks racked up 10 hits. Derek Miller, Walker, Shortall and McCall each scored at least two runs.
The Mavericks got on the board in their first at-bat against Aggies' starter Adam Mott. Walker singled to right with one out and advanced on a balk. McCall's chopper over the NSMU first baseman easily scored Walker for a 1-0 lead.
Derek Miller and Walker got on to open the second in front of Shortall, who doubled into left-center on ball that bounced over shortstop to plate Miller. Walker and Shortall came home on McCall's ground out and Lawrence's RBI single, respectively.
The Mavericks broke the game open in the fourth with a four-spot, three coming on a McCall's fourth homer of the season. Walker also had a run-scoring single in the outburst.
UT Arlington ran into trouble in the eighth. The Aggies scored four runs, as UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas went to relievers Daniel Milliman and Chase Weaver.
