Box Score
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Ryan Walker went 4-for-4 and scored four runs while Preston Beck belted a grand slam and drove in five runs as UT Arlington scored in six straight innings and defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 13-4, in the championship game of the Southland Conference Tournament on Saturday at Bobcat Ballpark.
Michael Guerra and Preston Morrow had three hits each as UTA (36-23) recorded 14 hits off nine Southeastern pitchers. Southeastern, which will look to secure an at-large berth to the NCAA Regionals, fell to 39-21 on the season.
UTA broke up a scoreless game in the third inning after Walker led off the inning with a single off Southeastern starter
Buck Bernard (2-2) and moved to second on an error. After Beck drew a walk, both runners moved up on a wild pitch before Guerra singled to left off Lion reliever
Joseph Koon to score Walker.
Morrow followed with an RBI single to plate Beck before Koon retired the next three Mavs to end the inning. UTA added three more runs in the fourth inning as Walker hit an RBI triple down the right-field line before Beck doubled to nearly the identical spot. A sacrifice fly by Morrow drove in Beck to give UTA a 5-0 lead.
Walker added an RBI single in the fifth for the Mavs before Jordan Vaughn drove in a run on an RBI single in the sixth. Guerra and Morrow added RBI singles in the seventh inning for UTA before Beck gave UTA a 13-3 lead in the eighth when he hit his 13th home run of the season.
Southeastern trailed 6-0 after five innings before mounting a threat in the sixth.
Jonathan Pace, who went 3-for-5 to lead the Lions at the plate, led off the inning with a single before
Ladd Rhodes followed with a one-out single to put runners on the corners.
Jacob Fisher belted a two-run double to center field for Southeastern before moving to third on a wild pitch and scoring on
Brett Hoffman's sacrifice fly.
That would be as close as Southeastern would get as Lance Day (12-3) and Zach Thompson combined to keep the Lions at bay.
Day, who pitched seven innings and earned the Mavs' opening round victory on Wednesday over McNeese State, went 5.2 innings for the UTA as he scattered eight hits and fanned three. Thompson pitched the final 3.1 innings for the Mavs and allowed an unearned run and three hits.
Ben Hernandez and Rhodes had two hits each for Southeastern, which was making its first Southland Conference Championship Game appearance after earning a dramatic 5-4 victory over Stephen F. Austin earlier in the day.
Southeastern La.... 000 003 001 - 4 11 2 (39-21)
UT Arlington.......... 002 311 24x - 13 14 2 (36-23)
Bernard , Koon (3), Pittari (4), Rainey (4), Manuel (5), Greenleaf (7), Lopez (7), Keller (8), Janway (8) and Fisher. Day, Thompson (6) and McCall. W - Day (12-3). L - Bernard (2-2). E - Slade (6), Pace (4), Walker (15), Guerra (9). DP – SLU 1, UTA 1. LOB – SLU 9, UTA 13. 2B - Fisher (5), Beck (8). 3B - Walker (1). HR - Beck (13). HBP - Sibley. SH - Rhodes (8), Pinchback (2), McCall (4). SF - Hoffman (2), Morrow (5). SB – Morrow (6). CS - Vaughn (6). T - 3:37. A – 721.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
2012 All-Tournament Team
MVP - Travis Sibley (3B), UT Arlington
C - Greg McCall, UT Arlington
1B - Bobby Loveless, Stephen F. Austin
2B - Michael Guerra, UT Arlington
SS - Hunter Dozier, Stephen F. Austin
OF - Jeff McVaney, Texas State
OF -
Ladd Rhodes, Southeastern La.
OF - Preston Beck, UT Arlington
DH - Max Lamantia, Stephen F. Austin
P - Lance Day, UT Arlington
P -
Dylan Hills, Southeastern La.
