May 16, 2010

Box Score

ARLINGTON - Lamar University's baseball team successfully overcame an early eight-run deficit Sunday afternoon, but UT Arlington pushed across three eighth-inning runs to rally for an 11-8 victory over the Cardinals.

After falling behind 8-0 in the first two innings, the Cardinals, who won a doubleheader over the Mavericks on Saturday, began chipping back with two runs in the fifth inning and another in the sixth. They made their big move in the seventh when senior right fielder Quentin Luquette boomed a grand slam over the center-field fence to force an 8-8 tie.

The Mavericks regained the lead, however, when Preston Beck and Steffan Guest put together back-to-back, one-out doubles to chase Lamar loser Garrett Steward in the eighth inning. Sophomore right-hander Eric Harrington relieved him, but he yielded an RBI double to Jake Pinchback and a run-scoring single to Brian Nephew before finally escaping the inning.

Luquette, who also delivered a run-scoring single in the sixth inning to help improve his team-leading RBI total to 47, went 2-for-4 for the Cardinals, while shortstop Aaron Buchanan went 4-for-4, second baseman Andy Mena 3-for-5 and center fielder Anthony Moore 2-for-2. The Cardinals finished with 14 hits, but the Mavericks topped them with 17.

In addition to stroking his tie-breaking double in the eighth inning, Guest slugged a three-run home run as the Mavericks jumped on Cardinal starter Blake Ford for four first-inning runs. The Mavs put up another four spot in the second before reliever Cory Holley came along to silence their bats over the middle innings.

Beck finished the game 4-for-5 with two runs batted in for the Mavs, while Guest went 3-for-4 with the homer, a double and four RBIs.

Garrett Laird, the third of three Mavs pitchers on the afternoon, held the Cardinals scoreless on one hit over the final 1.2 innings to earn the victory, his second in as many decisions.

The victory evened the Mavericks' overall record at 26-26, and it moved them to 18-12 in the Southland Conference. The Cardinals dropped to 30-22 and 15-15, respectively.

Coach Jim Gilligan's Cardinals will return home to close their regular-season schedule with a three-game series against Stephen F. Austin on Thursday and Friday nights and Saturday afternoon in Vincent-Beck Stadium.