Mavericks Even Series With Trojans

Box Score LITTLE ROCK – An 11-run inning by UT Arlington (24-24, 10-13 Sun Belt) was the difference maker as Little Rock baseball (23-21, 14-9 Sun Belt) took a 21-8 loss to the Mavericks on Saturday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field.
 
It wasn't all bad news for the Trojans as their offense put up 16 hits for the day, tying for the second-most in a game this season.
 
Ryan Scott continued his amazing campaign by going 3 for 3 with a couple of two-run homers, four RBIs and one hit-by-pitch. Scott now has 78 hits for the season and is just nine shy of breaking the Little Rock record for hits in a single season.
 
Nik Gifford and Ty Gunter each picked up three hits for the day while Hayden Martin went 2 for 4 with three runs and a walk.
 
After Martin singled to begin the bottom of the first inning, Scott slammed a two-run homer to center to give the Trojans an early 2-0 lead.
 
UT Arlington halved Little Rock's lead in the top of the second. After a one-out double down the left field line by Quintin Rohrbaugh, Dalton Turner hit an RBI double back up the middle.
 
After a scoreless third inning, the Mavericks put their bats to work as they scored 11 runs on 10 hits in the top of the fourth. At one point, UTA had six consecutive hits before popping up for the final out.
 
Up 12-2 in the sixth, UTA tacked on an additional run on an RBI double down the left field line by Turner.
 
The bottom of the seventh began much like the first inning for Little Rock. After Martin got on with a leadoff walk, Scott smashed his second two-run homer of the game to right to cut the Maverick lead to 13-4.
 
With two on and no outs in the top of the eighth, Turner hit his third double of the game to left center and picked up two more RBIs.
 
Little Rock's biggest inning of the day came in the bottom of the eighth. Dan Hawk Jr. came on for UTA starter Joel Kuhnel (5-3) to begin the bottom frame and quickly ran into some issues. With runners on the corners with one out, Keegan Meyn came off the bench and hit an RBI single to center. Matt McDowell then came off the bench to pinch hit and smacked an RBI single up the middle. Riley Pittman pinch hit and continued the hit parade with single to short. McDowell made it safely to second and Meyn scored as the shortstop threw the ball away trying to make a play at second. Ty Gunter came up with Little Rock's fifth consecutive hit as he put an RBI single into left. The Mavericks went to the bullpen and recorded the final out on a pop up to end the inning with a 15-8 lead.
 
UT Arlington put up six more insurance runs in the top of the ninth. With runners on the corners and no outs, Darien McLemore hit an RBI single to center. Rohrbaugh loaded the bases for the Mavs with a single to center. Turner picked up his eighth RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly to deep left. With two outs, Aaron Funk was hit by a pitch and loaded the bases once again for UTA. Josh Minjarez then launched a grand slam to left to put the Mavs up 21-8. With a 13-run cushion in the bottom of the ninth, UTA put the Trojans down in order to end the game and even the series.
 
"The story of the day for me was execution," head coach Chris Curry said. "We lacked execution on the mound and at the plate, and UTA, who is a good offensive team, did execute. We both got deep into our bullpens, and you saw both get exposed a little bit. I thought one game would be high scoring and hoped we'd be on the good end of it, but we need to win the series. They're all huge right now, and I expect our team to respond like they have all year."
 
Little Rock will once again try for its sixth Sun Belt series win of the season in tomorrow's 1 p.m., rubber game at Gary Hogan Field.