ARLINGTON, Texas - Abilene Christian baseball jumped out to leads of 3-0 and 5-3 but the UT Arlington Mavericks responded each time they were down and left the diamond as 7-5 victors on a cool and crisp 60-degree Wednesday night at Clay Gould Field.
The win lifted UTA's season record to 7-6 as the Mavs completed a two-game series sweep of the Wildcats who fell to 1-11.
ACU led most of the night and were ahead 5-4 entering the bottom of the seventh with one of their best relievers - junior
Nick Palacios - on the mound. Through a team-high six appearances this spring, Palacios hadn't allowed any runs nor walked any batters - but his fortunes soon turned after a one-out single by Levi Scott was followed by consecutive walks issued to Jackson Morris and Tanner Houston that loaded the bases.
Soon afterward, the Wildcats thought they caught the break they needed as catcher Will Olson grounded to short for a potential inning-ending double play. But
Kyle Carroll bobbled it just long enough to allow the game-tying run to score.
UTA shortstop Travis Sibley quickly broke the deadlock with a rip to left field that gave the Mavs their first and only lead of the game at 7-5.
The loss for Palacios (0-1) was his first of the season, while the win went to UTA's fifth releiver of the night in freshman Reid Petty (1-0) who tossed a scoreless seventh. Petty gave up a leadoff single that frame to
Alex Copeland but saw him erased on a caught stealing.
The Wildcats again went quietly in the eight against Brad Vassar and in the ninth vs. Colin Tornberg who earned his fifth save of the spring and second in as many nights by striking out the side.
ACU grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first thanks to a throwing error by pitcher Jake Wilcox. Marcel Carter led off the game with a single and after
Aaron Draper went to bunt him over with a tapper toward the left side of the mound, Wilcox whipped the ball under the glove of Scott at first base.
The ball got stuck along the bullpen fence line long enough for Carter to score all the way from first. Draper, meanwhile, raced to second base and came home on
Tyler Eager's RBI single to left.
Draper - who reached base four times tonight - scored a second run in third on a
Brayden Gomez grounder to the left side that made it 3-0 in favor of ACU.
UTA didn't trail for long, however, as the home team rapped five-straight two-out hits to tie the score at 3-3. Christian Hollie - the No. 9 batter - crushed a double to left and scored on the first of two hits through the left side. Scott then drilled a shot to the gap in right center to plate Matt McLean and Eric Tate.
The Wildcats finally got out of that inning on a swinging strikeout of the No. 5 batter Jerame Littell by
Brandon Lambright, who retired all four batters he faced.
Nate Cole followed Lambright to the bump holding a 5-3 lead and allowed one run to score on a walk and two singles before rebounding with back-to-back Ks of No. 4 and 5 hitters Morris and Littell.
Wildcat pitching combined for six strikeouts tonight.
Joe Gawrieh started for ACU and had faced the minimum number of batters (8) before getting into trouble with two outs in the third.
Ladgie Zotyka relieved Palacios in the seventh and struck out the only batter he faced. Sophomore Bryce Wellborn then tossed a scoreless eighth.
Scott finished the game 3-of-4 with three RBI to lead the Mavs' offense but was robbed of extra bases in his first place appearance when
Colton Hall made a running catch into the right field wall. Hall saved another run to end the sixth - one that would have tied the score at 5-5 - after he fired a one-hop bullet to
Mason Spracklen to catch RJ Williams who overslid the plate on McLean's two-out single.
At the plate, Hall went 1-for-4 which included a two-out double down the right-field line in the fifth that gave the Wildcats their second lead at 5-3. Draper and Eager scored on the hit.
The Wildcats return to action this weekend for a three-game road trip to Hammond, La. vs. Southeastern Louisiana. Game times are Friday at 6, Saturday at 2 and Sunday at 1; however, those plans may be adjusted due to rain in the forecast.
