ARLINGTON, Texas – UTA fended off South Alabama's late rally to preserve the Mavs' series-opening 6-3 home win over the Jags on Friday at Clay Gould Ballpark.
 
UTA (17-10, 5-2 SBC) kept South Alabama's hitters at bay for most of the game, as the Jags' only run of the game prior to the ninth came on a solo home run. Things got dicey in the top of the ninth, though, when the first three South Alabama (12-12, 3-4) hitters reached base.
 
Andrew Gross entered the game and, despite South Alabama scoring a pair of runs, picked up his nation-leading 11th save of the season.
 
Cade Winquest started on the mound for the Mavs and pitched an impressive 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts and a single earned run.
 
Anthony Dominguez was the standout at the plate for the Mavs, batting in three runs in three plate appearances.
 
After coming up empty with the bases loaded in the opening inning, UTA's offense broke through in the third inning to the tune of six hits and five runs.
 
Starting the inning from the top of the order, Connor Aube, Will Olson and Andrew Miller each singled to load the bases with no outs. Anthony Dominguez then hit a 2 RBI single to center field to drive home the first two runs of the game.
 
Two batters later, Josh Minjarez hit a single that snuck under the third baseman's glove to reload the bases. The Mavs' next three batters reached bases to score the final three runs of the inning. The last run, courtesy of Dylan Paul, came on an error.
 
South Alabama got on the board when Kaleb DeLaTorre smacked one over the right field wall.
 
The Mavs didn't threaten again until the bottom of the fifth inning when, with Tyler Rice on third, Aube hit a sacrifice fly to left field. Rice tagged up, but was thrown out at home to end the inning.
 
Dominguez came through with his third RBI of the game with a single in the sixth inning to score Miller in the bottom of the sixth to give the Mavs a 6-1 lead.
 
The teams return to Clay Gould to play game two of the series at 2 p.m. Saturday.
 
BARK IN THE PARK…ALL SEASON LONG
UT Arlington Department of Athletics officials announced that all 2019 home baseball games at Clay Gould Ballpark and softball games at Allan Saxe Field will be dog-friendly, thanks to a generous partnership with upstart Lone Star Friends of Animals to create 'Casey's Corner.'

April 16th games (Softball vs. Texas, Baseball vs. TCU) no dogs will be allowed on that date only.

Dogs which are leashed, at least six months old and with the proper vaccinations will be permitted at all UTA baseball and softball games throughout the season.

Casey's Corner is a grassy area between the baseball and softball fields, along the 3rd-base line of the baseball stadium. Multiple pet waste stations have been set up, and the space provides fans and dog owners an opportunity to walk and sit with their canine companions while taking in all the Maverick action.

SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2019 UT Arlington baseball season, beginning at just $75. All seating is general admission, and tickets can be secured by logging on to UTATickets.com.

FOLLOW THE MAVS 
For the latest news on UTA Baseball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on Twitter @UTArlingtonBSB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTABaseball.