LAWTON, Okla.—University of Texas at Tyler Baseball (1-2) dropped the second game of the series to NCAA Division II opponent Cameron University (5-4) in 10 innings, 3-2, Saturday afternoon.
Pitching was the story of the early innings with senior right-handed pitcher
Nate Imig (Leander, Texas) getting the start for UT Tyler. He struck out three batters in the first inning and two more in the second and third innings. Imig would go on to finish the game with 11 punch outs.
For the second-consecutive day, the Patriots recorded the first run of the contest. Senior infielder
Brady Usherwood (Mansfield, Texas) hit the first Patriot homerun of the season over the left field wall with one out in the top of the fourth inning. It marked the first homerun for Usherwood in his Patriot career.
Imig went on to pitch 5.2 innings allowing just three hits against 23 batters. Junior left-hander
Max Page (Montgomery, Texas) pitched 1.1 innings in relief of Imig for his first appearance of the season. He entered the game with two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the sixth but managed to get out of the jam without surrendering a run. Later, in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Aggies did manage to tie the game at one run with a double to the wall.
Freshman right-handed pitcher
Matthew McMillan (Pflugerville, Texas) came in to pitch the eighth inning and surrendered base hits to the first three batters of the inning. He managed to get out of the inning unscathed and maintain the 1-1 tie heading into the ninth inning.
To lead off the top of the ninth, sophomore outfielder
Tanner Roach (Whitehouse, Texas) doubled to left field. After advancing to third on a passed ball, Roach would score the second run of the game for the Patriots after a double by freshman outfielder
Alex Smith (Katy, Texas) broke the tie two batters later. The lead would be short lived, however, as Cameron plated their second run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.
Despite loading the bases in the top of the 10
th inning, the Patriots were unable to regain the lead. The Aggies also loaded the bases in their half of the 10
th inning with two walks and an error. The deciding run came in when a Cameron Batter was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded giving the Aggies a 3-2 win in extra innings.
The third, and final, game of the series is set for Sunday afternoon. The Patriots will look to avoid a sweep when they take the field at 1 p.m. in Lawton, Oklahoma.