Nine-Run Fifth Inning Lifts Scorpions to 11-9 Victory over Houston Baptist
Posted April 20, 2008
HOUSTON -- UTB/TSC erupted for nine runs in the fifth inning to wipe out a 6-1 deficit and hold on for an 11-9 victory over Houston Baptist University in the season finale for the Scorpions Sunday, April 19, at Husky Field.

The Scorpions (22-30) now have eight days off to prepare for the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament to be held at Scorpion Field April 29-May 2. UTB/TSC, the third-place team in the RRAC South Zone, will play its opening game in the double-elimination tournament against an opponent to be determined at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 29.

UTB/TSC won two of the three games in the series over HBU (16-20). The Huskies, who finished tied for third in the NAIA World Series in 2007, were members of the RRAC with the Scorpions last year but jumped to the NCAA Division I after the 2006-07 school year. Saturday's 8-4 win was the first victory by the Scorpions over an NCAA Division I opponent in any sport.

"That's a good weekend, especially against a team that we struggled with last year," Scorpion head coach Joel Barta said. "We were a ground ball away from a sweep of the series. We wanted to get some players into the game to give them experience. We made some adjustments and defensively to minimize the errors."

Barta hopes the two victories gives the Scorpions some confidence going into the RRAC Tournament.

"If it doesn't, I don't know what will," Barta said. "We didn't play our best baseball, but we played good baseball this weekend."

Down 6-1 after four innings, the Scorpions sent 14 batters to the plate in the nine-run fifth on six hits with the help of two Husky errors.

After Gilbert Puente led off the inning with a line out to shortstop, eight straight Scorpions reached base. Schaune Collins and Scott Price each had two-run doubles in the inning, while Jacob Yousif, Andres Monterrubio, Bryan Dombeck and Jorge Camorlinga had run-scoring singles. Puente made two outs in the inning.

The Scorpions finished with 11 hits, with MacDonald, Collins and Price getting two each. Price and Tyler O'Neal scored two runs each, while Camorlinga, Collins, Dombeck and Price had two RBI each.

Jesus Mendoza started for the Scorpions, going three innings and allowing four earned runs. Zach Moya picked up the victory in relief, improving his record to 3-5. He pitched four and two-thirds innings and allowed five earned runs. Jesse Galvan, who came in the game in the bottom of the eighth after HBU hit back-to-back homers to cut the lead to 11-9, picked up his first save of the season.