TYLER, Texas—The University of Texas at Tyler Baseball (13-11) dropped the series finale of a three-game slate with LeTourneau University (14-9) Saturday afternoon, 8-2, at Irwin Field. Despite the loss, the Patriots claimed the series after a doubleheader sweep on Friday.
After scoring just one combined run in both games on Friday, the Yellowjacket bats came alive early in Saturday's matchup. LeTourneau plated three runs in the top of the first inning and added two more in the second frame. Trying to trim the deficit, the Patriots put a runner on the base paths in each of the first three innings cut could not score a run.
The Patriots did get a run back in both the fourth and fifth innings. Senior outfielder
Josh Burns (Center, Texas) led off the fourth inning with a triple to the wall in left field. Maddox drove in the first UT Tyler run of the game with a groundout later in the inning to plate Burns from third base. In the fifth inning, senior catcher
Zach Pavelock (Iola, Texas) was walked to begin the inning and moved into scoring position when junior outfielder
Zane Wilkinson (Keller, Texas) was hit by a pitch. Later in the inning, senior infielder
Blake Wilson (Midlothian, Texas) grounded out but drove in Pavelock in the process.
Over the final four innings, the LeTourneau pitchers faced just one over the minimum and added to their lead with two runs in the seventh and another in the ninth inning. The Yellowjacket lead and pitching proved to be too much for the Patriots who dropped the final game of the series, 8-2.
Junior left-hander
Ethan Cherry (Dallardsville, Texas) took the loss to fall to 1-2 on the season after pitching the first inning. After junior right-hander
Blake Seagraves got an inning of work, junior left-hander
Max Page (Montgomery, Texas) tossed the next 4.1 innings and struck out six batters. Senior right-hander
Turner Givens (Spring, Texas), freshman
Tod McDowell (Bridge City, Texas), and freshman right-hander
Matthew McMillan (Pflugerville, Texas) combined to pitch the final two innings.
The Patriots will travel to Durant, Oklahoma for a midweek matchup with Southeastern Oklahoma State University on Tuesday beginning at 2 p.m.