March 14, 2009

Box Score

ARLINGTON, Texas - Senior Andy Sauter pitched eight innings with a career-high nine strikeouts to lead UT Arlington (6-9, 1-3) to its first Southland Conference victory of the season with a 5-3 win over UTSA (9-5, 2-2) on Saturday evening at Clay Gould Ballpark in Arlington.

Catcher Chad Comer drove in the tying run with a two-out single in the sixth inning before center fielder Michael Choice scored the eventual game-winning run with a full-count, two-out single up the middle in the seventh inning. Junior Jason Mitchell pitched the ninth inning to pick up his first career save as the Mavericks won game one of the series against the Roadrunners.

"With our team it is going to start on the mound," head coach Darin Thomas said. "After we got behind 2-0 in the first inning, Andy really gutted it up and carried us with nine strikeouts. He brought us to the ninth inning with a lead and that is all we can ask of him."

After giving up five hits in the opening two innings, Sauter settled in allowing just three hits the rest of the way. He improved as the game went on tallying a pair of strikeouts in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings.

"I knew we just had to scrap something together," Sauter said. "Our team really needed a win and I knew I was going to have to throw up some zeros. Our hitters fought back and we answered at the right times."

Three of the Mavericks' five RBI came with two outs, as UT Arlington scored its first run of the game with two outs on a single to right field by senior Jay Pitschka.

Otteman scored two runs while going 2-for-4 improving his team best hit streak to 15 games. Otteman is now batting .493 this season.

"Mike in the three-hole, Matt in the four-hole and Kainer in the five-hole have really been carrying us lately," Thomas said. "Not only that, a big lift for us was Jay Pitschka in the leadoff spot. He got three hits, did a nice job of drag bunting and played good defense."

Pitschka had a career-high three base hits (3-for-4) with an RBI. Choice and Kainer went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Comer recorded his second multi-hit game of the season going 2-for-3 with a walk. Comer was also responsible for throwing out two base runners as he has now thrown out 8-of-16 (50.0%) would-be base stealers this season.

UTSA senior Michael Rockett improved his career-best hit streak to 19 games leading the Roadrunners going 2-for-4 at the plate. Roadrunner starting pitcher Red Patterson was the losing pitcher allowing nine hits, four runs and two walks with four strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Patterson is now 1-2 this season.

The Mavericks and Roadrunners conference series will conclude on Sunday, March 15, with a doubleheader scheduled for noon at Clay Gould Ballpark.

GAME NOTES:
UT Arlington improves to 34-25 all-time against UTSA, including a 20-11 record against the Roadrunners in Arlington... The Mavericks have now won two straight games against UTSA dating back to last season... UTSA is the two-time defending Southland Conference regular season champion and 2009 SLC preseason favorite... The victory snaps a four-game losing streak for the Mavericks, who lost all four games on the road after a 7-1 win against Iowa Wesleyan in their last home game on March 5... The loss marks only the second for the Roadrunners over their last seven games... UTSA entered Friday with 22-of-25 (88%) in stolen bases but was caught stealing twice by UTA's Chad Comer... Matt Otteman's hit streak improved to 15 games with a 2-for-4 effort on Saturday... It is longest hit streak for any UT Arlington player dating back to last season (David McLeod, 14 game streak in 2008)... Otteman has a hit in every game this season, including at least two hits in 11 of the Mavericks 15 games... Otteman is now batting .493 (30-for-61) ranking second in the Southland Conference... Otteman's 30 base hits leads the SLC this season... The Mavericks improve to 5-1 when out hitting their opponent... The Mavericks posted 12 hits while UTSA notched eight... Through 15 games this season, UTA has 45 of its 82 RBI coming with two outs... Choice, the team's leader with two-out RBI (10), drove in the game-winning run with a two-out single in the seventh inning... Michael Choice improved his season-high hit streak to seven games while shortstop Tim Steggall's 1-for-4 outing improved his season-high hit streak to six games... The Mavericks' pitching staff recorded 10 strikeouts, matching a team-high that was also done against Siena (2/22) and Texas (2/24)... Sauter's nine strikeouts is not only a career-high it is the most by any Maverick pitcher this season.