Box Score | Notes

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Louisiana Tech used a three-run rally in the fifth inning to post a 7-3 comeback win at UTA to clinch the three-game series, on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Clay Gould Ballpark.

UTA (2-5) jumped out to a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second innings. After the Bulldogs got a run in the fifth, UTA allowed two hits and an error to lead to the three decisive runs in the sixth for a 4-2 lead. The teams traded single runs in the seventh inning and the Bulldogs piled on with two in the ninth.

Louisiana Tech (6-0) opened its year with a sixth consecutive win, a season after a historic campaign that saw the Bulldogs push Southeastern Conference Champion Mississippi State to the regional championship game.

ON THE MOUND
Junior Trae Patterson (0-2) earned his second start of the year for UTA and turned in a competitive outing. He worked 5.2 innings, allowing four hits and four runs - one earned - walking two and striking out six. He was relived by senior Austin Gardner in the sixth inning, with Gardner working 2.2 innings, allowing three hits and one run, striking out three. UTA used Jake Wilcox, Jud Kinzy and Brad Vassar in relief in the ninth.

Louisiana Tech starter Casey Sutton (2-0) earned the win, working five innings, allowing six hits and two runs, walking one and striking out one. Graham Ahlrich worked two innings in relief, allowing a run and Nate Harris started the eighth inning. Nate Harris picked up his second save of the year, getting the final six outs of the game.

LEADING THE MAVS
UTA got three-hit games from Phil Berthiaume and Noah Vaughan. Vaughan belted his second homer of the year and added a double, with Berthiaume ripping his first career double. UTA also got a two-hit game from freshman Zac Cook and hits from RJ Williams and Aaron Funk.

HOW THEY SCORED
The Mavs got on the board in the first inning, getting a leadoff double from Berthiaume and after a 2-2 groundout to the right side, Berthiaume took third base with one out. Cox then scored him with a grounder up the middle.

Vaughan got the Mavs a two-run lead with a one-out, solo homer in the bottom of the second.

The Bulldogs got a run back in the fifth inning as Chase Lunceford led off with a double down the line and after advancing to third with one out, scored on a grounder from Sean Ulrich.

In the sixth inning, Louisiana Tech plated three runs on two hits and a UTA error. Jordan Washam led off with a single and advanced to second after a throwing error on a fielder's choice. Brent Diaz was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Patterson immediately responded with back-to-back strikeouts of the fourth and fifth place hitters, before falling behind 3-0 in the count and issuing a full-count walk to score the tying run. Jonathan Washam then chopped a single up the middle with the ball skidding out of the glove of Minjarez with two runs scoring.

Louisiana Tech got a run in the seventh, getting a one-out single from Jordan Washam and a RBI double from Raphael Gladu.

The Mavs got the run back in the bottom of the seventh as Berthiaume singled with one out and Cook followed him to a single. Cox then hung a sacrifice fly to rightfield to score Berthiaume.

Louisiana Tech got two runs in the ninth inning coming on a two-run double fro Brent Diaz.

NEXT
UTA returns to action with the finale of the series on Sunday, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. CT Clay Gould Ballpark.