UT Arlington Advances to Southland Title Game with Walk-off Win over Bearkats
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Preston Beck's walk-off home run in the bottom
of the ninth sent No. 4 seed UT Arlington to the championship game of the 2012
Southland Conference Baseball Tournament after a dramatic 7-6 victory over No.
1 seed Sam Houston on Friday at Bobcat Ballpark.
The Mavericks (35-23) are 3-0 in the double-elimination tourney
after eliminating the Bearkats. UTA will face either Southeastern Louisiana or
Stephen F. Austin in a one-game, winner-take-all championship game Saturday at
either 1 p.m. or 5 p.m. on ESPN3.
The Mavericks are in search of their third Southland Conference
tournament championship and their first since 2006.
The Mavericks were in control for most of Friday's game and did
not trail until the eighth inning. Sam Houston took its first lead on Kevin
Miller's three-run homer off UTA reliever Adam Boydston.
UT Arlington came back in the bottom of the inning. Preston Morrow
singled to lead off before Sam Houston got two quick outs. Greg McCall kept the
rally alive with a hit. Travis Sibley then rolled one through the left side
that scored Morrow from second to make it 6-6.
The Mavericks had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth
thanks to a spectacular defensive play by shortstop Ryan Walker. The Bearkats
loaded the bases with two outs when Miller lined a grounder up the middle.
Walker dove, made the stop and flipped the ball to Michael Guerra to end the
inning.
Beck took advantage of that chance by sending an offering from Sam
Houston reliever Michael Burchett high over the wall in right. Beck leads the
conference with home runs. Matt Shortall also homered, while Ryan Walker and Travis
Sibley each had three hits for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks put the pressure on in a hurry on Sam Houston, which
beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in similar walk-off fashion earlier in the
day for the right to face UTA. Jake Pinchback led off with a walk. Walker
planned to move Pinchback to second with a sacrifice bunt, but the Walker
reached as well when the ball died on the chalk and Sam Houston failed to make
a play.
Pinchback and Walker moved up a base on a wild pitch from Bearkats
starter Cody Dickson. Both would score on consecutive RBI groundouts by Preston
Beck and Michael Guerra, giving UTA starter Michael Oberto a 2-0 lead going
into the second inning.
Sam Houston countered with a run in the second on doubles from
Ryan O'Hearn and Jake Arrington, the latter scoring the former.
Oberto's day was done when the Bearkats got runners at the corners
with none out in the fourth. Colin Reynolds came on, and though Sam Houston
tied the game, the Mavericks dodged a major bullet.
Sam Houston's Jake Arrington sent a drive that UTA left fielder
Preston Morrow snagged at the top of the wall. The Mavericks were able to
Bearkats runner Anthony Azar at first, while O'Hearn scored. The tie score
didn't last long.
Shortall homered to left in the bottom of the fourth, putting the
Mavericks up 3-2. UTA added another run on Walker's RBI single to left that
plated Greg McCall.
The Mavericks padded the lead in the sixth with an RBI single from
Sibley.
Postgame Quotes
UT
Arlington coach Darin Thomas
Opening
statement
"That was a great game. It could have gone either way. Both teams
had to go to the bullpen. There were some great hits made, and great plays made."
On
Preston Beck's walk off homerun
"There's really no bigger moment in a baseball game. You can't
predict it. All of the sudden the ball is hit and you just hope they hit it high
enough. He definitely hit it hard enough, you just have to hope its high
enough.
On
reaching the championship game
"It's a championship game so of course you can expect a good ball
game. They are both good teams. We've had a good year and some big wins. We're
playing some good baseball right now. I don't think we'll have any problem
getting up to play tomorrow."
UT
Arlington outfielder Preston Beck
On
his walk-off homerun
"I've been struggling at bat today so I was just glad to get
something to hit. I wasn't searching for a certain pitch; I just saw it and put
my best swing on it."
On
the game
"We thought we had them at the beginning of the game, when you get
down to the last few innings it doesn't matter what the lead is, we're just
glad we came out on top. It was definitely the most fun I've had playing a game
and it was probably my best moment has a baseball player. It was an awesome
game and an awesome win and I hope we can get another one tomorrow."
Sam
Houston State coach David Pierce
On
the game and UTA's performance
"They made plays throughout the game to win it; they threw a lot
of strikes and made great plays in the outfield. I tip my hat to their team,
they played very well, but I'm also very proud of our guys."
On
close calls made throughout the game
"You can't blame the umpires. We did some things early in the game
that we would like to have back, that's just part of it, but we definitely
won't go down blaming umpires. They were the better team today and that's just
the way it is."
On
his team's chances of getting into NCAA tournament
"I think we're going to get in, no doubt. I think we needed to win
a couple of games this tournament and (it will depend on) what happened in
other tournaments across the country that could influence what happens with us,
but I really think we should get in and I think we will."