April 12, 2014
Probable Sunday Pitching Matchup
UTA - Daniel Milliman (3-0, 1.73) vs. GSU - Tyler McClure (2-5, 7.48)
Final Stats
ATLANTA, Georgia - A pair of two-out hits in the eighth inning lifted UT Arlington to a 6-3 Sun Belt Conference win Saturday afternoon at Georgia State.
The Mavericks improved to 15-20 overall and evened their conference mark at 7-7. The Panthers dropped to 17-19 and 5-9. The finale of the three-game series at GSU Baseball Complex is Sunday at noon CT.
"Big win for us," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "Obviously last night after coming up a little bit short, I think we battled. After being shut out the first five innings, we put up six on them the next three. I can't say enough about how Eric Tate has done a great job."
UT Arlington scored three runs in the eighth with two outs to take their first lead of the game. With the bases loaded, Brady Cox drilled a single to left bringing Ryan Bottger and Justin Copeland home. Eric Tate (4-5, 2 RBI) followed with another hit to score McCall.
Zach Hobbs, working 2.2 scoreless innings in relief of starter Zach Thompson, earned the win and improved to 3-0. Jess Amedee struck out the final two GSU batters to pick up his third save. UTA pitchers limited the Panthers to seven hits the day after surrendering 13 in an 11-10 loss.
"Zach gave us almost six and the Hobby did a great job and Amedee closed it with two strikeouts," Thomas said.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the first on a hit, sacrifice bunt and two wild pitches from Thompson. GSU added a run in the third on a one-out single to left.
The Mavericks finally got something going in the sixth. Cox walked and Tate singled to open the inning. One out and one passed ball later, Travis Sibley doubled to left to put the Mavericks on the board.
Georgia State turned to reliever Andrew Fessler to replace starter Nathan Bates. Derek Miller took Fessler's first pitch deep to right to score a tagging Tate, tying the game 2-2.
Thompson ran into trouble in the sixth, loading the bases with one out. Hobbs came on, and GSU scored on a suicide squeeze to retake the lead. McCall, the starting catcher, picked up the bunt and nearly tagged Chase Raffield coming home from third.
Hobbs limited the damage by inducing a double play to end the inning. The Mavericks took advantage knotting the game 3-3 on Tate's bases-loaded single to center in the seventh.
