ARLINGTON - The University of Texas at Arlington baseball team (1-2) finished the season-opening series at Clay Gould Ballpark with a 9-7 victory against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi (2-1) on Sunday afternoon.
 
After using seven different pitchers in the first two games of the series, UTA once again called on their bullpen with freshman Gray Bailey picking up his first collegiate win (3.0 IP). Brayden Brooks (ND) started for the Mavericks, throwing 5.0 innings while giving up three unearned runs on five hits with six strikeouts. Cade Winquest (1.0 IP) threw an inning of relief in which the Islanders collected four runs, three earned. Bailey tossed three shutout innings with three strikeouts and no walks.
 
In the bottom of the first, UTA drew first blood with back-to-back leadoff hits from David VanVooren and Zach Henry with Oscar Ponce collecting the first of three RBI on the day. 
 
The Islanders answered in the second hanging three unearned runs on the board from a combination of hit batsmen, singles and a sacrifice fly. 
 
The see-saw contest tilted back to the Mavericks favor with a three-run third inning in which six batters reached base, giving the home team a 4-3 lead. Cason Gregory, VanVooren and Henry scored runs in the frame with Ponce, Mitchell Sanford and Jaden Brown collecting RBI.
 
The UTA advantage was extended with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and another in the fifth, bringing the score to 7-3. 
 
Gaining the sizable lead and growing pitch count, head coach Darin Thomas went to his bullpen bringing in Winquest. A&M Corpus Christi loaded the bases, scoring twice on a single and a ground out before loading the bases again on a hit by pitch. A fielding error and subsequent wild pitch helped the Islanders score two more runs in the inning. The mistake-filled sixth brought the game to a 7-7 tie.
 
In the eighth, the Mavericks broke through with the top of their lineup. VanVooren reached base on a walk, advancing on a wild pitch then eventually scoring on a misplayed ground ball to the third baseman by Henry. A sacrifice fly gave the Mavericks an insurance run that gave them the 9-7 lead which they would not relinquish.
 
"I thought we did a good job of getting the lead then, when we gave it up, got it back again," Coach Thomas said. "After losing the first two, we just needed the win."
 
UTA will be back at Clay Gould Ballpark tomorrow at noon for a game against the Michigan Wolverines.​​

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