Redshirt junior catcher Zach Mazoch, above, and redshirt junior left fielder Noah Fields cheer during a game against Texas Christian University on Feb. 17 at Globe Life Field. UTA won 11-8.
UTA baseball (1-3) beat Texas Christian University (2-2) 11-8 Tuesday at Globe Life Field.
Texas Christian went into the game ranked seventh in the D1Baseball Top 25 after beating Vanderbilt University and No. 8 Arkansas over the weekend. Meanwhile, UTA was reeling from losses in a season-opening sweep against Northwestern State University of Louisiana.
Junior first baseman Caylon Dygert attempts to catch the ball to tag a baserunner out during a game against Texas Christian University on Feb. 17 at Globe Life Field. Dygert had seven putouts.
“This past weekend, we just didn’t feel was us, we felt that that was an anomaly,” head coach Mike Trapasso said. “We just struggled so much this weekend offensively because we were just locked up tight and it was all about just hunting the fastball and just freeing your mind and going out there and understanding that we’re a good team.”
UTA now leads Texas Christian in their last seven games, with the teams heading into the home of the Texas Rangers tied 3-3 since March 2023.
UTA blew open the scoring early, driving in nine runs in the first inning, backed by Texas Christian’s errors. TCU’s starting pitcher was taken out after 0.1 innings and the team’s first reliever was pulled after 0.2 innings.
Junior pitcher Jacob Havern pitches the ball during a game against Texas Christian University on Feb. 17 at Globe Life Field. Havern pitched for the first two innings.
TCU got three runs in the third inning despite only one hit in the frame. The Horned Frog comeback continued in the fourth inning, with a solo home run and a two-run pop-up double to shallow left field.
Seven of the 10 Mavericks that stepped up to the plate scored a run, while six got a hit, with four knocking multiple.
Texas Christian lowered the deficit further with another solo home run, but UTA ended its scoring drought in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded walk and a hit-by-pitch. TCU put up a run on an RBI single in its final attempt but couldn’t complete the job.
Graduate student right fielder Preston Knott runs to second base after a play during a game against Texas Christian University on Feb. 17 at Globe Life Field. Knott had three runs.
“The main focus today was just to free our minds and go out there and let it eat, but obviously, it’s good for our program to do that,” Trapasso said. “We won one midweek game last year, the entire season. We just won our first one, so we’ve already tied that.”
Senior pitcher Merek Sears came in relief during the fourth inning in a jam and coaxed a groundout to end the threat. He proceeded to pitch 2.1 more innings, giving up only one run on two hits and no walks.
Graduate student right fielder Preston Knott slides back to first base after attempting to steal second during a game against Texas Christian University on Feb. 17 at Globe Life Field. Knott was picked off at first base in the fourth inning.
“It was big just being able to flush [the home run] and move on to the next pitch, because every pitch matters, and once the pitch is done with, you’ve just got to be able to move on,” Sears said.
Senior center fielder Xander McAfee went 2-4 at the plate while leading the Mavericks with three RBIs, including a two-run single down the left field line and the bases-loaded hit-by-pitch.
“We just competed,” McAfee said. “That’s what we do. We competed and we got the job done, so this is going to lead to a lot more success in the future.”
Junior infielder Hank Harp runs to first base during a game against Texas Christian University on Feb. 17 at Globe Life Field. The Mavericks had nine runs in the first inning.
UTA heads back into action this weekend, as the team will play its first true home games in a series against Lamar University from Friday to Sunday at Clay Gould Ballpark. The first game starts at 4 p.m. Friday.
“We gotta clean up the defensive miscues, and we walked way too many guys today, but that’s more what we felt like we were going to see, and so it’s good to get off this night, and we got a big series against a very good Lamar team,” Trapasso said.
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