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Senior pitcher Merek Sears prepares to pitch during a game against St. John\u2019s University on March 22 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Sears allowed three hits.<\/p>\n
Photo by Quinton Knight<\/a><\/p>\n UTA baseball (8-15) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 12-6 win over St. John\u2019s University (9-13) in the final game of a home series at Clay Gould Ballpark. <\/p>\n Redshirt sophomore Ty Zahradnik, 7.02 ERA in 16.2 innings pitched, got the start for the Mavericks and sat down the first three batters he faced, setting the tone early. <\/p>\n UTA rewarded Zahradnik\u2019s efficient work by driving in five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Junior shortstop Harold Laracuente got the scoring started with a home run to right field, his first of the season. <\/p>\n Despite the early lead, a win\u00a0was anything but certain. UTA had lost three straight at home, two in the current series, and was without senior infielder Xavier Melendez, the team leader in batting average, on-base plus slugging percentage, hits and RBIs. <\/p>\n Junior pitcher Dylan Skolfield prepares to pitch during a game against St. John\u2019s University on March 22 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Skolfield had seven pitches.<\/p>\n Photo by Quinton Knight<\/a><\/p>\n Head coach Mike Trapasso said that’s the nature of the game. He said you never know what can happen, but giving your pitcher early run support can only help. <\/p>\n \u201cWe go out there and put up [11], that’s the beauty of this game,\u201d Trapasso said. \u201cThe ups and the downs and the craziness are the reasons you love and hate this game sometimes.\u201d <\/p>\n Zahradnik felt the same way about pitching with a lead and said it gave him a confidence boost that allowed him to pitch freely and not have to worry about giving up a run. <\/p>\n In the third inning, the Mavericks continued playing winning baseball. Zahradnik stayed hot and held St. John\u2019s scoreless for the third inning in a row. UTA chased St. John\u2019s starting pitcher out of the game in the second inning, but it made no difference as the team put up four runs on two hits in the bottom of the third inning, pushing the lead to 9-0. <\/p>\n Sophomore catcher Ethan Ho prepares to catch the ball during a game against St. John\u2019s University on March 22 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Ho had one strikeout.<\/p>\n Photo by Quinton Knight<\/a><\/p>\n St. John\u2019s got on the board with a four-run inning, ending Zahradnik\u2019s shutout in the top of the fifth. He gave up two earned runs before being pulled. Senior pitcher Merek Sears came into relief with inherited runners and gave up a two-run double to redshirt sophomore catcher Adam Agresti to make it a 9-4 game. <\/p>\n Zahradnik said the fastball and slider worked for him. He said it was an adjustment he made based on the hitter\u2019s tendencies. <\/p>\n \u201cI knew today I had to throw a lot of off-speed in the zone, because they’re really good at hitting singles and they’re really good at hitting the fastball,\u201d Zahradnik said. \u201cI knew if I just landed off speed, they weren’t going to do very much.\u201d <\/p>\n The timely hits continued for the Mavericks. Senior center fielder Xander McAfee singled up the middle in the bottom of the sixth to score two runs, extending UTA\u2019s lead to 11-4 and putting the game out of reach. <\/p>\n Sophomore catcher Ethan Ho attempts to hit the ball during a game against St. John\u2019s University on March 22 at Clay Gould Ballpark. Ho had four at bats.<\/p>\n Photo by Quinton Knight<\/a><\/p>\n UTA went 7-for-19 with runners on and 6-for-16 with runners in scoring position, making the most of scoring opportunities. <\/p>\n Sophomore third baseman Austin Phillips played a big role in the crooked score. He went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, scored two runs and stole a base. He said he puts a lot of work into the game and, therefore, trusts himself and his approach when at the plate. <\/p>\n \u201cAny pitch that looked good over the plate, I was hitting,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n St. John\u2019s tried pushing back into the game, scoring a run in the eighth and ninth innings to cut the deficit in half. However, the late-game scoring wouldn\u2019t be enough as UTA closed the game to win. <\/p>\n UTA and St. John\u2019s baseball players fist bump after a match March 22 at Clay Gould Ballpark. UTA won 12-6.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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