HOUSTON, Texas – The bats came alive Saturday night at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park for the UT Arlington baseball team (10-12) as they swept Houston (11-11) in doubleheader action.  The Mavericks used a career-day from Josh Minjarez in game one, tying the single game RBI record, to win 12-7, before holding off a 9^th inning Cougar rally in game two, 8-7.

GAME ONE RECAP | UTA 12, HOUSTON 7

Kody Bullard (W, 3-2) started on the mound for the Mavericks, tossing 6.0 innings in the win.  The lefty allowed two earned runs off nine hits and three strikeouts.  Three unearned runs were scored on Bullard.  Wyatt Divis tossed one inning of relief giving up two earned runs off two hits.  Logan Austin and Michael Wong finished the game, each throwing one scoreless inning.
 
The Maverick bats came alive in game one, finishing with 11 hits and 12 RBI.  Leading the Mavericks with an all-time UTA performance, was Josh Minjarez.  The senior went 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and a double, while tying the single-game RBI record with eight. Anthony Dominguez (2), Dylan Paul (1) and Sam Gotlieb (1) knocked in the additional four runs for the Mavericks.
 
The Mavericks wasted no time getting on the board.  Following back-to-back singles to start the game from JD Wadleigh and Phillip Childs, a sacrifice bunt pushed the two runners to second and third.  Dylan Paul connected on a single through the right side of the infield to score the first run. 
 
After Boone Montomery walked to load the bases, Anthony Dominguez picked up his first two RBI of the season with a line drive to right field to make the score 3-0 in the first inning.
 
The Cougars got one back in the bottom frame coming off a solo home run from Luke Almendarez.
 
The Mavericks loaded the bases again in the top of the third, this time with Josh Minjarez at the plate.  Childs, Paul and Dominguez were promptly brought home with a grand slam from Minjarez to push the Maverick lead to 7-1.
 
Houston followed up in the bottom frame with a home run of their own.  With runners on second and third, Ryan Hernandez connected on a deep shot over the left field fence to score three runs.
 
The Mavericks loaded the bases twice in the top of the fifth, hitting a pair of sacrifice flies off the bats of Minjarez and Sam Gotlieb to score two more runs.
 
The Cougars connected on the third home run off the game, and the second off the bat of Hernandez, using a solo home run to score one run in the fifth inning.
 
A third homerun from Hernandez two innings later made it a two-run ballgame after seven innings.
 
Minjarez gave the Mavericks some breathing room in the top of the 9^th, connecting on his second home run of the game and driving in three more runs to tie the single-game RBI record and push the score to 12-7.
 
Wong entered the game in the ninth and put the Cougars down in order to secure the win for the Mavericks.
 
GAME TWO RECAP | UTA 8, HOUSTON 7

The Mavericks utilized five pitchers in the win.  Brayden Brooks earned his first start on the mound for the Mavericks, tossing 3.0 inning while allowing three runs off four hits.  Riley Bost came on in the fourth, allowing two runs off one hit before Zach Norris took over.
 
Norris (W, 2-2) earned the win for the Mavericks, tossing four shutout innings, striking out five batters and allowing just two hits.  Matt Novis tossed one inning in relief, while Michael Wong (S, 3) threw the 9^th inning, allowing two runs off two hits while picking up the save.
 
The Mavericks finished with 13 hits in the game, led by both Boone Montgomery and Andrew Miller going 3-for-4 at the plate.  Connor Aube (2-5) and JD Wadleigh (2-5) each had a multi-hit game. Aube led the Mavericks with three RBI, while Montgomery led the Mavericks with three runs scored.  Phillips Childs, Dylan Paul, Josh Minjarez, Miller, and Montgomery each had one RBI in the game.
 
Following a scoreless top half of the first, the Cougars put three up in the bottom frame.  Back-to-back doubles scored the first run before Will Pendergrass hit a two-run home run over the left field wall to give Houston an early 3-0 lead.
 
In the top of the third, Connor Aube connected on a three-run home run to tie the game, scoring Childs and Miller.
 
An inning later, Minjarez put the Mavericks on top 4-3 with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.
 
The lead wouldn't last, however, as Brad Burckel hit a two-run homer of his own to put the Cougars up 5-4.
 
In the 6^th inning, Boone Montgomery connected on his fourth home run of the season to tie the game at five.
 
The Mavericks took the lead back in the top of the seventh.  Tyler Rice led off with a double before being pushed to third with a bunt from JD Wadleigh.  With runners on the corners, Phillip Childs hit a sacrifice fly to center field to push Rice home and take the lead.

A single from Connor Aube allowed Wadleigh to go from first to third and have runners on the corners again.  Dylan Paul hit another ball to center field, connecting on the second sacrifice fly of the inning as the Mavericks went up 7-5.
 
In the top of the 8^th, Andrew Miller hit his second double of the game, driving in Boone Montgomery to push the Maverick lead to three runs.
 
The Cougars began to rally in the bottom of the 9^th. Two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases for Houston.  A wild pitch scored the first run of the inning and kept runners at second and third.
 
A hard-hit ground ball was scooped up by a lunging Montgomery, allowing just one run to score while getting the second out of the inning.
 
Another wild pitch pushed the lone baserunner to third base, but a ground out to shortstop ended the rally and game, as the Maverick won 8-7.
 
UP NEXT
UTA and Houston will finish their four-game series tomorrow at 1 pm in Houston at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park.