Stephen F. Austin
Texas-Arlington
Three-Run Eighth Clinches Series For SFA
4/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 25, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - SFA scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 2-2 tie and win its second straight game over UTA at Jaycees Field on Saturday.
The win is the third in a row for SFA (18-23, 9-13 SLC) overall, and the third over the Mavs (23-19, 14-9 SLC) this season. It also puts the `Jacks in position for its first three-game sweep of the season on Sunday.
Jared West started for the `Jacks and went 5.1 innings and allowed just two runs, but it was Alex Moshier that got his fourth win of the season with 2.0 innings of scoreless relief. Richard Folmer then saved his third game of the week with a perfect ninth that included two strikeouts.
SFA pitchers combined to only strike out five hitters, but issued only two walks on the afternoon in limiting self-inflicting damage. That is the least amount of walks for SFA in a game that Erich Lehmann did not pitch in since April 1 against Houston Baptist - a span of 15 games. SFA also banged out 10 hits, giving them 10 straight games with at least 10 hits.
Nathan Long took the loss to fall to 4-3, despite adding eight strikeouts to his league-leading total in 7.0 innings with only one walk.
UTA had won six straight road games in the SLC before Friday and Saturday's losses, but it was SFA playing small-ball late in the game that pulled out the win against Long.
Tanner Hines and Sean Meyers combined for five hits and four runs scored and were part of the three-run eighth that gave SFA its first and only lead of the day. Hines had just had an outstanding defensive inning in the top of the eighth when he threw out Andrew Kainer at third for the first out on a ball up the middle before drawing up a 6-3 double-play with the score tied to get it to the bottom of the eighth where he beat out an infield hit to lead off - his third hit of the day. Meyers then drew a four-pitch walk from reliever Adam Boydston and Brian Ferguson beat out a bunt for a hit to load the bases with nobody out and the score knotted at 2-2. Ryan Priest then liked the first pitch he saw and sent it far enough to left field to score Hines for the go-ahead run.
SFA added two more runs on a fielder's choice from Bo Coffman where the double-play attempt went awry and got a pair of runs home for a comfortable three-run cushion for Folmer in the ninth.
West and Long had made it look like it was going to be a pitcher's duel in the first three innings with each keeping the opposition off the scoreboard until the fourth. West had pitched out of a pair of jams in both the second and the third, but finally allowed a run in the fourth when Tim Steggall started off his 3-for-4 day with his first home run of the season to left-center field, giving UTA an early 1-0 lead.
But Long hurt himself one inning later by misfiring on attempted pickoff of Hines who had reached on a leadoff single, allowing him to go all the way to third with nobody out. Meyers then took the very next pitch back up the middle to plate Hines and knot the score.
It looked as though the `Jacks were going to take the lead in their half of the fifth as Long showed some two-out fatigue in putting Joe Staley and Zach Gardner on with a walk and a hit batter. Hines then dribbled a single through the right side, but Matt Otteman charged the play from right field and threw Staley out at the plate to keep things tied.
Otteman then led off the very next inning and beat out what looked to be a routine grounder to shortstop for an infield hit, moving up to second on his own with a steal before moving to third on a fly out by Kainer. Steggall then delivered again, this time with a line-drive single up the middle that got West off the mound in favor of his brother, Jason. He then promptly walked Chad Comer, but got Ryan Davis and Evan Raley to both pop out and keep the `Jacks down just 2-1.
Meyers then got it started for SFA in the sixth, taking a 2-0 pitch from Long into the right-center field gap for his 15th double of the season. After Brian Ferguson moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt, UTA coach Darin Thomas decided to pull in his infield with a one-run lead and only one out and Ryan Priest then tied the game at 2-2 by lining a single over it to left field to get the run home.
Moshier then came on to start the seventh and got Otteman to foul out to Staley at the screen behind home plate with the go-ahead run at second base, but had to get some defensive help in the eighth. Kainer delivered a leadoff double to extend his hit streak to 29 games in the eighth, but that was when Hines erased him at third on his heads-up play on a ground ball behind the bag at second off the bat of Steggall. Comer then grounded directly to Hines at shortstop who stepped on the bag and fired to first to end the frame and set the table for SFA in the eighth.
SFA goes for the sweep of the Mavs on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. when freshman Brett Rogers takes the hill for the `Jacks. The Mavs have yet to announce a starter for Sunday's finale.
-SFA-
