· Game 1 box score
· Game 2 box score
| Junior Matt Crocker struck out a career-high 11 in Sunday's opening game. |
SAN ANTONIO — UT Arlington rode the right arms of Rett Varner and Logan Bawcom to a 7-0, 8-1 doubleheader sweep of UTSA on Sunday at Roadrunner Field.
The pair of victories pushed the Mavericks' season record to 9-11 overall and 3-3 in Southland Conference play, while the Birds saw their two-game winning streak come to an end in falling to 9-9 (1-5 SLC).
Varner (2-2) limited UTSA to just six singles in 7.2 innings in the opener and he struck out a career-high nine. Meanwhile, Bawcom (1-1) gave up just one run on a half dozen safeties and he also set a new personal best with 10 punchouts.
All told, UTA allowed just one extra-base hit on the breezy day, a two-out triple by senior Lance Brown in the sixth inning of the nightcap, and four Mavericks hurlers combined to fan 24 Roadrunners.
Preston Beck's first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field with one down in the second, got the Mavs on the board in the first game. A Michael Choice RBI double four innings later plated Jordan Vaughn and pushed the advantage to 2-0 and UT Arlington put the game out of reach with a four-spot in the seventh and one more in the following frame.
It was more of the same in the next contest, as the Mavericks pushed across a runner in the first inning and four more in the third to go in front 5-0. The lead grew to seven after a two-run seventh and UTSA ended its offensive futility in the bottom of the frame when junior Tyler Carpenter crossed the plate with the Roadrunners' first and only run of the day. UTA tacked on a mark in the ninth to close out the scoring.
Vaughn went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs in the opener to lead the Mavs, while Beck was 2-for-4. Meanwhile, Steffan Guest and Beck paced a 15-hit attack in the finale with three hits apiece. In fact, all nine UT Arlington hitters reach base by hit or walk in the nightcap and eight registered safeties.
Junior southpaw Matt Crocker (2-2) was charged with the game one loss. The Kingwood native coughed up six runs (five earned) on a half dozen hits in 6.2 frames. Crocker whiffed a career-high 11 and walked only one Maverick. It was the first double-digit strikeout performance by a UTSA starter since Steven Vasquez fanned 12 against Sacred Heart on Feb. 29, 2008.
Junior right-hander Mike Pierce (0-2) was saddled with the second game loss after surrendering five runs on nine hits and a pair of walks in just 2.2 panels.
Carpenter and freshman Jake Wood both went 3-for-7 in the twinbill to lead the Birds on offense.
UTSA is back in action on Wednesday when it heads north up IH-35 to take on Baylor (11-7). First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark.