UT Arlington Gets 5-4 Comeback Win over Nicholls
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - UT Arlington came from two runs down to score three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning for a 5-4 victory over Nicholls Thursday at the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament at Whataburger Field.
The Mavericks (29-29) rallied with two away in the bottom of the seventh. Conference player of the year Michael Choice, who had tripled off the top of the centerfield wall in the fifth inning to tie the game at 2, drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. Rightfielder Preston Beck tied the game with a two-run single to center and then designated hitter Steffan Guest drove in what proved to be the winning run with a single through the left side.
Nicholls (27-28) threatened in the top of the ninth, trying to mount a two-out rally of its own. Back-to-back singles by Keith Kulbeth and Adam Miley put two on for Beau Faulk, who took the count full before grounding out UTA reliever Logan Bawcom.
Mavericks starter Rett Varner went seven innings and allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits. He walked one and struck out eight. He threw 119 pitches in improving to 8-5 on the year. Brian Watson pitched the eighth before handing the ball to Bawcom, who picked up his fifth save of the season.
Vaughn led the Mavericks in going 3-for-4 through Beck drove in a game-high two runs. Third baseman Brian Nephew hit a home run to lead off the third inning. It was his second home run of the tournament. UTA and Nicholls each had 10 hit though UTA had to overcome three errors.
Keith Kulbeth was 3-for-5 to lead the Colonels, who also got multiple hits from Miley and catcher Kevin Schlegel.
The win moved UTA to 2-0 in the tournament for the fourth time in school history. In all three times previously, the Mavericks reach the championship game.
The Mavericks will await the winner of an elimination game between Nicholls and Texas State, a rematch of the opening-round game won by the Colonels. That will be played Friday at noon, CDT. The winner will have to come back to play UT Arlington Friday at 7 p.m., needing two wins against the Mavericks to reach the championship game. Another win by UTA seals an appearance in the title game.
UT Arlington coach Darin Thomas
"We knew they were coming in with a ton of momentum and were going to catch their best effort. Anytime you can get your lead-off hitter on it makes them a better club and that's immediately what happened. I thought Rett (Varner, UT Arlington's starting pitcher) did a good job of minimizing the damage in the first inning and then obviously settling in and pitching really well. We pieced it together at the end with (Brian) Watson and (Logan) Bawcom."
On Michael Choice's triple
"I think that one swing got the walk. Obviously they were trying to get the walk and pitch to Preston (Beck) and he came up big again, got the single and got it tied. Then Steffan (Guest) got the big hit to win it.
"The biggest thing is that it gives us a little more rest; we get the night game again and don't have to bounce back and play at noon. That's big for us, we're a little thin pitching-wise, we have been at the end of the year, but we'll piece it together and we'll be fine. Our guys are playing with a lot of confidence."
UT Arlington third baseman Brian Nephew
"The biggest win of the year, by far. Coming out of the gates, they took an early lead, we come back and it happens again in the middle of the game and we find a way to scratch and win. Give the pitchers a lot of credit, the hung in there. We used as many people as we could to get the win, came together as a group and just came through.
"I'm giving the credit to K.J. (Hendricks) our hitting coach; he's been working with me all year. He tells me just to stay short with my two-strike approach. A lot of the guys made me switch to a 33-inch bat also this past week and it's been working out for me.
"It's huge to have most of the day off, just like today. We can get up, get some good food and relax around the hotel before we come back out here tomorrow night."
Nicholls coach Chip Durham
"Our kids battled, we capitalized on some errors and scored some runs early on. Their pitcher did a great job; he settled in after the first inning and threw a great game. We just came up short but I'm proud of the way our guys battled.
"We just have to lick our wounds, come back and win the game tomorrow to get back in it. It's a tournament where you have to lose twice, that was our first loss so we just have to get ready to come back out and play.
"The kid (Michael Choice) is a great hitter. Earlier in the year we pitched to him and it bit us. We unintentional intentional walked him and the guy does a great job hitting behind him. You have to tip your hat, he got the job done, that's all you really can say. They did a great job, fought hard and came back to win the game."