TYLER, Texas—The University of Texas at Tyler Baseball (13-10) swept a doubleheader Friday afternoon at Irwin Field over American Southwest Conference opponent LeTourneau University (13-9) with an 8-0 shutout and a 3-1 victory to close the day.
 
Senior right-handed pitcher Nate Imig (Leander, Texas) got the starting nod for the sixth time this season. He started faced the minimum in the first three innings with help from senior catcher Zach Pavelock (Iola, Texas) who picked off a Yellowjacket baserunner in both the first and third innings.
 
It was all Patriots in the fourth inning with five runs coming around to score. The inning began with back-to-back hits from senior outfielder Graham Welch (Plano, Texas) and senior infielder Blake Maddox (Jacksonville, Texas). Welch hit a singled up the middle before crossing home plate on the Maddox double down the left field line.
 
The scoring continued with four-consecutive batters reaching on a hit batter and three singles. Sophomore outfielder Tanner Roach (Whitehouse, Texas) drove in a run with his bunt single while senior infielder Blake Wilson (Midlothian, Texas) plated two more with a single to center field.
 
With the Patriots leading 5-0, Imig again faced the minimum over the next two innings. Silencing the LeTourneau bats allowed the Patriots to add some insurance runs in the home half of the sixth inning.
Senior infielder Henry Sanchez (San Antonio, Texas) got the scoring started in the inning with a homerun to right field for his second long ball of the season. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, senior outfielder Josh Burns (Center, Texas) sent the ball up the middle to drive in two more runs and give the Patriots and 8-0 advantage.
 
Looking to close out the game in the shortened opening game of the doubleheader, Imig continued to pitch in the seventh. He did allow one baserunner but stranded the Yellowjacket at first base to secure the fifth Patriot shutout of the season. With the win, Imig moved to 2-2 on the season and lowered his earned run average to 1.70.
 
In the second game of the doubleheader, it was another slow start with neither team able to plate a run in the first three innings. It was another dominate start for Patriot pitching with junior right-hander Austin Schneider (Keller, Texas) striking out seven batters in the first three frames.
 
A leadoff walk to the Yellowjackets in the top of the fourth and a Patriot error later in the inning made it possible for LeTourneau to plate the first run of the contest. UT Tyler answered back with a pair of runs crossing home plate in the home half of the inning.  
 
For the sixth time in seven games, Welch sent a pitch out of the park with a solo blast over the right field wall.  The leadoff solo blast tied the game at one run each while Maddox followed with a double down the left field line. He would be driven home by junior outfielder Zane Wilkinson (Keller, Texas) who singled later in the inning and put UT Tyler on top, 2-1.
 
Schneider came back out to dominate the next three innings allowing just one baserunner and punching out five more Yellowjackets. He finished the game with seven innings pitched and struck out a season-high 12 batters.
 
Roached reached after being hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. A sacrifice bunt by Wilson and a flyout to right field by Burns allowed him to advance to third base with two outs. He would score the final run of the game after a single to center field by Welch.
 
With the Patriots leading, 3-1, senior right-hander Turner Givens (Spring, Texas) struck out three batters in the eighth inning to set up freshman right-hander Matthew McMillan (Pflugerville, Texas) for a save opportunity in the ninth. He did allow baserunners to reach first and second with one out, but Maddox snagged a line drive with a dive into foul territory and doubled off the runner at first base to seal the Patriot victory. Schneider got the win to move to 4-2 on the season while McMillan was credited with his first collegiate save.
 
The three-game series will come to a close on Saturday with the teams set to square off at 1 p.m. at Irwin Field.