Final Stats

By Paul Watley | @WatP7

LAFAYETTE, La. - UT Arlington struggled to generate offense in a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Louisiana at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field on Friday night in Sun Belt play.

"Offensively we didn't do much," UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas said. "We had a few guys on and [UL pitcher Gunner Leger] made pitches when he needed to and we didn't really generate a whole lot tonight. It's a disappointing start to the weekend. They're a good club and we've just got to find a way to bounce back tomorrow."

The Mavericks (17-23, 8-11 SBC) recorded seven hits and only had four in scoring position. UTA left eight on base in the game that lasted just over two hours. The Ragin' Cajuns (26-15, 11-7) came away with five runs off of 11 hits.

Chad Nack pitched his first-career complete game for UTA, allowing 11 hits and five earned runs in his eight innings on the hill. The senior right-handed pitcher settled into a groove after giving up four runs through three innings, allowing Louisiana one run over the last five innings of play. Nack fanned four Cajun batters in his 110-pitch outing.

"Chad did a good job for us, especially after we got down 4-0," Thomas said. "He settled in and gave them one in the last five innings which definitely helped us and saved our bullpen for the weekend."

Travis Sibley did his part to try and revive the UTA offense, going 2-for-4 on the night. Jackson Morris also made the most of his pinch-hitting opportunity with a 1-for-1 outing.

The Cajuns jumped out to an early lead in the opening frame with a two-run inning to take control. Louisiana added to its lead in the third when Kyle Clement hit a two-run shot down the right field line to put UTA behind by four. The final run of the day for Louisiana came in the fifth with an RBI single to center field.

The Mavs were in good position to score in the seventh inning when Eric Tate sent a double down the left-field line with one out. However, a ground out coupled with a foul out ended the threat with Tate stranded at third.

The final chance for UTA to extend the game came in the ninth inning. With a fielder's choice putting Tate on first with two outs, Morris stepped in to pinch hit and delivered with a short blooper to shallow right field. The opportunity was squandered in the next at-bat as a fly out ended the game with the Mavs trailing by five.

The Mavericks and Ragin' Cajuns return to the field at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN3, with David Schultz and Kevin Cantrelle on the call.