KISSIMMEE, Fla.—The University of Texas at Tyler Softball swept a pair of games on Sunday at the Spring Games with a 16-5 victory over Thomas More University (1-2-1) and a 3-0 shutout of Arcadia University (1-1). The Patriots finished a four-game trip to central Florida with a 3-1 record.
 
A big first inning propelled the Patriots to victory in their early morning matchup with Thomas More. Senior outfielder Nicole Garcia (Sugar Land, Texas) led off the game with a single to right field before advancing to third base. She came around to score the first run of the game courtesy of a single to center by senior infielder Serena Saldivar (Garland, Texas).
 
With two runners on base, senior utility Lynsey Mitchell (Liberty Hill, Texas) hit a homerun over the right field wall. Her first of the season game UT Tyler an early 4-0 lead with two outs in the inning. The next two Patriot batters singled before sophomore outfielder Haleigh Swinney (Crosby, Texas) was walked to load the base. Another single from Garcia scored two more runners to make it a 6-0 Patriot advantage.
 
The final runs in the top half of the first inning came from senior infielder Victoria Gonzales (Elgin, Texas) who picked up her third homerun of the season, sending it over the wall in right center field. The three-run shot gave UT Tyler a 9-0 advantage before the Saint even had a chance to bat.
 
Thomas More did score a run of their own in the home half of the first inning after the first three batters reached base. It would be negated by another Patriot run in the second after Swinney doubled to center field allowing Mitchel to come home.
 
Already leading 10-1, the Patriots tacked on two more runs in the top of the third. The first three batters of the inning reached base highlighted by a single to left field from freshman utility Brittany Sosa (Eagle Lake, Texas). Mitchell grounded out as the next batter but managed to score Victoria Gonzales from third. Freshman infielder Chaney Tart (Malakoff, Texas) followed with a double to left field to score another run and give the Patriots a 12-1 lead.
 
Finding themselves with the bases loaded again in the fourth inning, senior infielder Theresa Gonzales (Elgin, Texas) hit a sacrifice fly to left field allowing all three base runners to advance. Freshman infielder Carson Robertson (Carthage, Texas) was then walked to keep the bases loaded while freshman infielder Laura Despres (Round Rock, Texas) singled to drive in a run. Heading in to the bottom of the fourth inning, UT Tyler led 14-1.
 
Despite the Saints adding two runs in the bottom of the fourth, it would not be enough with UT Tyler matching their two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman infielder Macie Pampell (Zachary, Louisiana) hit a sacrifice fly that scored a runner from third while freshman utility Lauren Harris (Sugarland, Texas) singled to left field to give the Patriots their 16-5 victory.
 
Junior right-handed pitcher Whitney Romero (Lafayette, Louisiana) moved to 6-0 in the circle after 3 innings of work. Freshman pitcher Payton Foster (Lufkin, Texas) made her fourth appearance of the season pitching two innings of relief. Garcia was the lone Patriot with multiple hits, going 2-4 in the game with three runs scored while Mitchell drove in four runs with a 1-2 game at the plate.
 
The second game began much like the first with the Patriots grabbing an early lead. Garcia walked to lead off the game and was immediately brought home on the second home run of the day for Victoria Gonzales. It was her fourth homerun of the season which ties Theresa Gonzales for the team lead. Victoria Gonzales drove in a run for the ninth time over the four-game weekend with a double in the third inning to give the Patriots their 3-0 lead and the victory.
 
Defensively, the Patriots faced the minimum between the second and fifth innings. Just two Knights reached base in the first five innings including a single to leadoff the game. By the end of the game, UT Tyler forced Arcadia to go three-up, three-down in four different innings.
 
Senior left-handed pitcher Colleen Bentke (Brenham, Texas) got the win on the mound to move to 8-1 for the season. Her earned run average dropped to 1.73 after allowing just three hits and striking out five Knight batters in second solo shutout of the season.
 
The Patriots will be back in action next weekend when they host the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor for a three-game series at Suddenlink Field. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday at 4 p.m. with Saturday's single game set for 1 p.m.