HUNTSVILLE, Texas (Interstat) — The Sam Houston Bearkats erupted for six runs in a chaotic seventh inning to overcome a four-run deficit and defeat the Texas-Arlington Mavericks 7-5 on Tuesday night at Don Sanders Stadium.

The game pivoted decisively in the bottom of the seventh, transforming a 5-1 contest into a 7-5 Sam Houston lead. The Bearkats sent 12 batters to the plate, capitalizing on walks, timely hitting and a critical Texas-Arlington pitching change to complete the comeback.

Texas-Arlington had controlled the game early, building a 5-0 lead by the third inning. The Mavericks struck first in the third when Tyson Laracuente singled home Parker Simmons, who had walked and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, second baseman Xavier Melendez launched a two-run home run to center field off starter Nolan Kendrick, giving the Mavericks a commanding early advantage.

Sam Houston scratched across an unearned run in the fifth on an RBI groundout by Cade Cotton, but the game remained firmly in the Mavericks’ grasp until the fateful seventh.

Trailing 5-1, Sam Houston’s rally began against reliever Nick Perry. Jaden Martinez walked and stole second before Cotton also drew a walk. Jeric Curtis then delivered the key blow, a two-run double to center field that cut the deficit to 5-3. After a pitching change, Rylan Franden followed with an RBI double, scoring Curtis to make it a one-run game. Hunter Alvord then tied the game with a ground-rule double to left-center.

A wild pitch moved Alvord to third, and after a walk, Walker Baker gave Sam Houston its first lead of the night with a sacrifice fly. The Bearkats continued to apply pressure, loading the bases again before Martinez drew another walk to force in the inning’s final run. The inning finally ended when Cotton lined into an unassisted double play at third base.

Texas-Arlington reliever Hayes Melville entered with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and limited further damage, but the six-run outburst proved insurmountable. The Mavericks managed a solo home run from Caylon Dygert in the eighth, but could not mount a comeback of their own against the Sam Houston bullpen.

Bearkats reliever Cooper Harris earned the win, pitching 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball after taking over for Jakob Holzer in the sixth. Zak Johnson closed the game with a scoreless ninth inning for Sam Houston.

The loss overshadowed strong pitching performances from the middle of the Texas-Arlington staff. Dylan Skolfield started and threw three scoreless, hitless innings. Landon Murphy followed with two perfect frames, and Hayes Melville finished with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Their work was undone by the collective struggles in the seventh.

Melendez led the Mavericks offensively, going 2 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs. Dygert added two hits, including his eighth-inning homer.

For Sam Houston, Curtis drove in two runs with his crucial double, part of a nine-hit attack that overcame an early offensive drought.

With the win, Sam Houston evened its season record at 12-12. Texas-Arlington fell to 8-16.

Sam Houston is scheduled to host Western Kentucky for a three-game series starting Friday. Texas-Arlington returns home to begin a series against Villanova on Friday.