Senior pitcher Merek Sears pitches during a game against California State University, Sacramento on April 19 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Sears had three strikeouts.
UTA baseball (15-23) beat California State University, Sacramento (18-23) 8-6 Sunday at Clay Gould Ballpark.
The win salvaged the Western Athletic Conference series for UTA, after Sacramento State won a 2-1 pitcher’s duel Friday and an 11-1 run-rule game Saturday.
“In all reality, it’s a season saver, it’s a game changer. We’re halfway through the conference season, and we’re still in striking distance,” head coach Mike Trapasso said. “You get swept, that’s when things start looking bleak, but proud of our guys for staying in there.”
Junior first baseman Caylon Dygert runs to first base during a game against California State University, Sacramento on April 19 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Dygert had one run.
Junior catcher Clark Springs opened the scoring with an RBI bloop single to right field in the second inning. Sacramento State answered in the third, scoring four runs off outfield singles, hit-by-pitches and a passed ball.
Senior center fielder Xander McAfee hit an RBI single in the sixth inning to shorten the deficit. The Hornets tallied insurance runs in the ninth inning, hitting an RBI single and capitalizing off a throwing error on a stolen base attempt to lead 6-2.
The Mavericks mounted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning, with Springs hitting another RBI single to score junior left fielder Hank Harp from second base. Junior shortstop Harold Laracuente then sent a ball bouncing down the right field line for an RBI double.
Junior catcher Clark Springs prepares to run to first base after a hit during a game against California State University, Sacramento on April 19 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Springs had three hits.
Springs led the team in hits, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run. He said the message in the dugout was simple heading into the ninth inning.
“Just stay tough, have a lot of grit, battle through it, pull together as a team, everybody pulling the same rope,” Springs said.
Redshirt junior right fielder Noah Fields tied the game with a groundball past the shortstop. Graduate student Preston Knott, who came in as the designated hitter in the eighth inning, sent the final pitch of the series 372 feet and over the right field wall for the walk-off victory.
Noah Fields, redshirt junior right fielder, sprints to a base during a game against California State University, Sacramento on April 19 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Fields had two runs.
“Shoutout the eight other guys in the lineup, in the ninth inning. They did their job, they got on, they just passed it to the next guy, pass to the next guy,” Knott said. “Ultimately, it came down to me, and I did the same thing as everyone else, just doing our job, and that was what the team really needed.”
Until the six-run ninth inning Sunday, UTA had only scored four runs the entire series, with the final frame being its only multi-run inning.
“Sometimes you’re good, sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes you’re both. In the hits, we had found holes in that last inning,” Trapasso said. “Wait until the 27th inning to score a crooked number, that’s not a recipe for consistent success, but we’ll take it today.”
Junior first baseman Caylon Dygert attempts to hit the ball during a game against California State University, Sacramento on April 19 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Dygert was at bat twice.
UTA goes on the road for a midweek game against Stephen F. Austin State University at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Pilgrim’s Park in Nacogdoches, Texas.
“We don’t have expectations other than just playing well and trying to get a lot of guys out there, and stay sharp, and get some pitchers out there that haven’t thrown on the weekends and try to have a better offensive performance,” Trapasso said.
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