STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton mustered just two hits in its Western Athletic Conference opener, falling 5-2 to the UT Arlington Mavericks on Friday evening at the Tarleton Baseball Complex.
The Texans (10-4, 0-1 WAC) were held in check by UTA (6-7, 1-0 WAC) starting pitcher Gabe Starks (W, 2-0) who tossed 6.0 innings of no-hit baseball, allowing no runs and striking out eight.
Tarleton's first run of the game came in the bottom of the eighth as they trailed 5-0. Second baseman
Jordan Andrade hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot over the left field wall to make it 5-1 in favor of the Mavericks.
The Texans threatened in the ninth, down 5-1. They loaded the bases with no outs as
Jack Wagner walked,
Kooper Shook laid a bunt down and beat the throw and
Trace Morrison walked.
That forced UTA reliever Andrew Lucas out of the game as he made way for Connery Peters (Save, 5). Peters induced a ground ball double play to the second baseman on the first pitch he threw to
Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo, which plated a run as Wagner scored. The next Texan batter, Andrade, flied out to right field as the Mavericks secured the win.
Tarleton starting pitcher
Will Stevens (L, 1-1) was tagged with the loss as he gave up four runs on five hits in 3.0 innings of work. He walked four and struck out four.
Grant Garza pitched 3.0 innings in relief, facing the minimum nine batters and striking out three. Freshman
Reece Elston pitched the seventh allowing no runs or hits with one punch out.
Zane Badmaev threw the eighth and ninth, giving up one run on two hits, striking out three.
The Mavericks big inning came in the third when they scored three. Tyler Rice hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score one and Cason Gregory hit a two-run double to left field to bring the other two across. Gregory led UTA with two hits.
Tarleton will look to even the series on Saturday, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. in Stephenville on ESPN+.
