NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Mavericks (20-18, 10-6 WAC) completed the comeback over Stephen F. Austin (17-18, 10-9 WAC) thanks to a five-run 7th inning on Friday night at Jaycees Field.
Despite being outhit by the Lumberjacks 11-9, the Mavs were able to keep the SFA bats at bay after the 4th inning, limiting the Jacks to just two hits for the remaining five innings of play.
Tyson Pointer extended his hitting streak to eight-games, going 2-5 with a big three-run home run. Pointer collected four RBIs and scored twice in the effort.
Steven Saunders went 2-5 on the night, hitting the go-ahead three-run home run in the 7th to finish his night with three RBIs.
Wilson Galvan ended with two hits on the game, while
Garrison Berkley,
Cade Sumbler and
Tyler Rice each finished with one hit to round out the offensive output for the Mavs.
Jack Hagan picked up his team leading sixth win on the season in relief of
Gabe Starks. Starks went 3.2 innings on the mound, giving up eight runs on nine hits and punching out two. Hagan pitched a solid 3.1 innings, allowing no runs on two hits and striking out three SFA batters.
Matt Novis picked up the two-inning save, not surrendering any hits and striking out one.
UTA popped out to an early 3-0 lead in the 1st inning, behind Pointer's big three-run bomb to right center field. SFA responded in the bottom of the 2nd with a three-run inning of their own to tie things up at three runs apiece.
The Lumberjacks would jump on the Mavs in the bottom of the 4th inning, plating five runs in an inning where nothing seemed to go the Mavs way, as the Jacks had an infield single and a squeeze bunt that plated a run.
UTA was able to get an important run back in the top of the 5th, thanks to a Galvan sacrifice fly that brought in Rice to cut the Lumberjack lead in half, 8-4.
The UTA offense then exploded for five runs in the top of the 7th, all with two outs, to take a one-run lead, 9-8. After two quick outs, Galvan reached base after being drilled in the middle of the back. Black followed with a walk and Pointer singled to bring in Galvan to make it a three-run game.
Black would score on a wild pitch to make it an 8-6 game. Sumbler then drew a walk which brought Saunders up to the plate. The big inning was capped off by a three-run shot over the scoreboard in right center by Saunders to give the Mavs a one-run lead.
NEXT UP
The Mavs are back in action in game two of this WAC series on Saturday, April 22, scheduled for a 2 p.m. start time at Jaycees Field.
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