ARLINGTON, Texas – The bats sprung to life for the UT Arlington baseball team (6-10) on Tuesday evening at Clay Gould Ballpark as the Mavericks ran away with a 14-2 victory over Abilene Christian  (8-8).
 
The Mavericks thrived in two-out situations, knocking in 10 RBI and hitting .588 (10-17) on the night. Eight of the nine Maverick starters came away with a hit and a run in the game.  Nick Pierce, Oscar Ponce, Steven Saunders, Cade Sumbler and Cason Gregory each finished with two hits, while Saunders and Sumbler led the Mavs with three RBI.
 
Following one run in both the first and second inning, the Maverick pitching staff shut down the Wildcats with seven consecutive shutout innings. Cade Winquest (ND) earned the start, tossing 4.0 innings in the win and striking out seven batters.  Gray Bailey (W, 3-1) came on in relief in the fifth inning, throwing 3.0 shutout innings and four strikeouts.  Jack Hagan and Jarod Seals both threw one inning of shutout baseball.
 
The Wildcats were the first to draw blood, using a one-out triple to score one run in the first inning.
 
The Mavericks punched back in the bottom frame using a single, walk and two wild pitches to put runners on the corner. Wilson Galvan hit a line drive over third base for an RBI double before a third wild pitch of the inning gave UTA the lead.
 
A Maverick error to begin the second inning gave the Wildcats a baserunner before a double down the right field line tied the game up at three.
 
UTA once again had an early answer for ACU as Matt Lumsden led off with a triple before Cade Sumbler hit a single up the middle to put the Mavericks back on top. Following back-to-back outs, UTA used three two-out hits from Tanner Rice, Oscar Ponce and Steven Saunders to score three more runs and take a 6-2 lead.
 
Following a break off from scoring in the third, Saunders used a two-out double down the right field line to drive in two runs.
 
In the sixth inning, Cason Gregory and Nick Pierce put runners on first and second to set up another scoring opportunity. An error on a hit from Tanner Rice allowed the Mavericks to plate their ninth run of the game.
 
A hit by pitch loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth inning. Tyler Rice took a seven pitch at-bat walk to bring home the second run of the inning before a wild pitch scored the third run. Cade Sumbler connected on a single to right center to drive in two runs and give the Mavericks a double-digit lead at 13-2.
 
The two-out scoring continued in the seventh inning as Tyler Rice connected on an RBI double off the wall to right field.
 
UP NEXT
The Mavericks will travel to South Alabama to begin Sun Belt Conference play against the defending SBC Champion Jaguars. The two teams will play a three-game set beginning Friday, March 18.
 
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