Box Score Box Score
HAMMOND – Chad Comer went 4-for-5 and belted a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning and UT Arlington scored five runs in the final innings to claim a 7-6 victory over No. 22 Southeastern Louisiana in a Southland Conference contest Friday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
The teams return to action on Saturday in a 2 p.m. contest. The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net.
Southeastern (24-7, 8-5 SLC) erased a 2-1 deficit with a four-run sixth inning to take a 5-2 lead before UTA (15-15, 8-5 SLC) answered with a three-run seventh. Steffan Guest greeted Southeastern reliever
Josh Janway with a two-run double to left-center field before Comer tied the game with an RBI double to right.
Justin Boudreaux led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a home run off UTA starter Jason Mitchell and the Lions put two runners in scoring position before Mitchell fanned
Torin Lucas on a called third strike.
The Mavericks got a one-out single in the eighth inning to chase Lion reliever
Stefan Lopez, and All-American
Chris Franklin came in to fan Jordan Vaughn and UTA All-American Michael Choice to end the inning.
Southeastern put runners on the corners with one out in the eighth inning as
Brock Hebert singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and stole third.
Cass Hargis drew a one-out walk but UTA reliever Garrett Laird (1-0) got Boudreaux to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.
UTA began their rally in the ninth as Preston Beck led off with a single through the right side before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Guest. Comer then belted a 1-0 fastball from Franklin (3-3) over the left field wall to help the Mavericks reclaim the lead.
Logan Bawcom pitched the ninth inning for his third save as he fanned pinch-hitter
Philip Freeman with the tying run on second to end the game.
UTA scored a run in the second inning when Daniel Jordan beat out a potential double-play grounder, scoring Guest who had led off the inning with a single up the middle.
The Mavs added a run in the third inning when Beck hit an RBI single to left, scoring Vaughn who led off the inning when he reached on an infield single. UTA collected 17 hits in the contest and stranded 11 men on base.
Southeastern took a 5-2 lead in the sixth inning as pinch-hitter
Chris Ernest delivered a two-run double down the right-field line and Hebert followed with a two-run single past a drawn-in infield. Hebert led Southeastern's 10-hit attack going 3-for-4 while Hargis and
Jeff Harkensee had two hits each.
Tyler Watkins scattered 11 hits for Southeastern and allowed four runs with two strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Mitchell tossed seven innings for UTA, scattering eight hits and allowing six runs with five strikeouts.
Jesse Payne went 3-for-5 with a double for UTA, which got a hit from each starter. Guest drove in two runs for the Mavs.
UT Arlington........ 011 000 302 - 7 17 0 (15-15, 8-5 SLC)
Southeastern La..... 001 004 100 - 6 10 1 (24-7, 8-5 SLC)
Mitchell, Laird (8), Bawcom (9) and Comer . Watkins, Janway (7), Lopez (7), Franklin (8) and Gough-Fortenberry, Lucas (7). W – Laird (1-0). Sv. – Bawcom (3). L – Franklin (3-3). E – Cryer (9). DP - UTA 2, SLU 1. LOB - UTA 11, SLU 10. 2B – Guest (11), Comer (9), Payne (5), Hargis (13), Harkensee (16), Ernest (1). HR – Comer (3), Boudreaux (8). HBP - Orr, Cryer, Gougler, Sparacino. SH – Vaughn (3), Guest (1), Cryer (6), Martin 2 (8). SB – Hargis (11), Hebert (7). T - 3:00. A – 789.
