Stephen F. Austin
UT Arlington
Big Early Deficit too Much to Overcome for 'Jacks in 13-5 Loss to UT Arlington
3/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
UT Arlington 13, Stephen F. Austin 5
Jaycees Field • Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (5-4) • UTA (5-4)
Pitching Records: SFA | Austin Hagy (0-2) • UTA | Kadon Simmons (2-1)
Up next: at New Mexico State (5-2) • Friday, March 4 • 7:00 p.m.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Some early pop at the plate by UT Arlington left the Stephen F. Austin baseball team with a deficit it couldn’t dig out of as the ‘Jacks wrapped up their four-game homestand with a 13-5 setback to the Mavericks at Jaycees Field on Tuesday night.
SFA moved to 5-4 on a night where they struck for nine hits but also committed three errors that turned into five unearned UTA runs. The ‘Jacks stranded 12 runners on the base paths and surrendered four extra base hits and four walks.
Hagy faced the minimum numbers of batters in the Mavericks’ first set of ups, getting a double-play ball from the ‘Jacks defense to accomplish that task. The first frame, though, was one of just four in which a UT Arlington runner didn’t touch home plate.
UTA plated all the runs necessary to pick up its fifth win of the season by striking for six in the second. A leadoff single, Hagy’s only base on balls and a fielder’s choice loaded the bases for the Mavericks who cleared them with an RBI groundout and a two-run double by Darien McLemore.
An additional run-scoring single preceded a two-out, two-run line single up the middle by Christian Hollie that put the ‘Jacks at a 6-0 disadvantage. Following Hagy’s final inning of work in the third, SFA plated its first runner by using the combination of a Kyle Thornell single up the middle and an error by UTA’s center fielder that allowed Garrett McMullen to scamper home from third.
The Mavericks continued their offensive onslaught by plating an additional trio of runs in the visitors’ portion of the fourth, but back-to-back doubles by Conner Fikes and Zach Valenzuela in the SFA fourth made it a 9-2 ballgame.
Colton Turner hit the sixth Jaycees Field home run of 2016 in the sixth – a two-out, two-run shot beyond the left field fence – to push the Mavericks’ edge to 11-2. Following that, the ‘Jacks responded with a three-run frame with one of the Mavericks’ two errors on the night.
Gavin Gregory reached on the miscue – an infield booted ball – and two ‘Jacks came around to score. Thornell picked up an RBI by way of a two-out, bases loaded free pass but the ‘Jacks couldn’t get a big hit with the bases juiced to extend the frame.
One run was added on by the Mavericks in both the eighth and ninth innings, and SFA left the bases loaded once again in the ninth to account for the final score.
RJ Williams finished with a game-best line of 3-for-5 at the plate with four runs and two RBI. He was one of five Mavericks to register a multi-hit effort. Nine different ‘Jacks accounted for SFA’s nine hits on the night with Thornell and Valenzuela getting credit for the ‘Jacks two RBI. Fikes finished 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
Kadon Simmons upped his 2016 record to 2-1 on the hill by firing 1.2 innings of three-run relief.
Now that their first of five four-game homestands is in the history books, the ‘Jacks will embark on a 10-game road swing beginning with a four-game series at New Mexico State. The first game of the series between the rivals from the Southland Conference and the Western Athletic Conference is scheduled to commence at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Presley Askew Field.
-SFA-
