MARSHALL, Texas—The University of Texas at Tyler Softball (31-3) split a doubleheader with No. 2 East Texas Baptist University (33-4) Friday afternoon to earn the series victory. The Patriots dropped the first game, 5-4, in 10 innings before taking the series final, 8-6.
 
Both teams put runners in scoring position during the first inning but neither team could push a run across. For the second-consecutive game, the Patriots were the first to score with a run in the bottom of the second inning. After the first two batters of the inning were retired, sophomore infielder Mak Dominguez (Austin, Texas) kept the inning alive with a double to left field. She came across home plate courtesy of a single down the left field line by sophomore outfielder Haleigh Swinney (Crosby, Texas). The lead was short lived as the Tigers put a run on the board in the home half of the inning.
 
The score was unchanged in the second inning, but UT Tyler regained the lead in the top of the third. Senior infielder Serena Saldivar (Garland, Texas) sent the first pitch of the inning over the right center field wall. Her sixth homerun of the season put Saldivar into a tie for the team lead and gave the Patriots a 2-1 advantage.
 
Over the next inning-and-a-half, ETBU scored three runs to regain the lead and take a 4-2 advantage. The Patriots would not score again until the top of the seventh inning when sophomore catcher Ashley Perez (Pflugerville, Texas) played the role of hero for the second straight day. Senior infielder Victoria Gonzales (Elgin, Texas) was hit by a pitch with one out before Perez tied the game on a two-run blast over the left center field wall. Her fourth homerun of the season forced extra innings with the Tigers unable to regain the lead in the bottom of the seventh.
 
It was a good start to extras for the Patriots with senior outfielder Dariann Resendez (Austin, Texas) reaching on a single to lead off the top of the eighth. She was later stranded at second base while the Patriots stranded a Tiger on the base paths in the bottom of the eighth. In the ninth inning, both teams got a runner to third base but could not take a lead.
 
UT Tyler had a two-out baserunner in the top of the 10^th inning when Swinney reached on an infield single to the left side. She was eventually stranded which allowed the Tigers another opportunity to walk it off in the bottom of the 10^th. Two doubles and a walk by ETBU allowed their fifth run of the game to cross home plate and seal a 5-4 victory to open the doubleheader.
 
Senior left-handed pitcher Colleen Bentke (Brenham, Texas) got the start and pitched the first 4.1 innings. Junior right-hander Miranda Leal (San Antonio, Texas) nearly got the Patriots through the regularly scheduled innings with 2.1 innings in the circle. She held ETBU without a run and allowed just four hits. Taking the loss was junior right-hander Whitney Romero (Lafayette, Louisiana) who pitched the final three innings.
 
At the plate, Perez and Dominguez both recorded a team-high three hits. Perez drove in a pair of runs with her homerun while Saldivar and Swinney both had one RBI.
 
The series finale began the same way the first two games had with the Patriots grabbing an early lead and the Tigers tying it in the home half of the inning. Senior outfielder Nicole Garcia (Sugar Land, Texas) started the game by reaching on a walk before advancing to second on a past ball. Back-to-back groundouts by Victoria Gonzales and Perez advanced Garcia to third and brought her home for the first score of the game.
 
In the third inning, UT Tyler regained the lead after Garcia again began the inning by reaching base. She singled up the middle before Victoria Gonzales followed with an infield single. Senior infielder Theresa Gonzales (Elgin, Texas) was hit by a pitch to load base which set up Dominguez for a two-RBI single back up the middle. Even though the Tigers got one run back in the bottom of the third, the Patriots held on for a 3-2 lead after three full innings.
 
Three five runs came around to score for the Patriots in the top of the fifth inning. Perez began the inning with a single to right field before Theresa Gonzales hit her team leading seventh homerun of the season to plate two more runs. Later in the inning, freshman infielder Chaney Tart (Malakoff, Texas) grounded out with the bases loaded to plate another run while Garcia singled to bring two more runs across home plate. Their five runs gave UT Tyler an 8-2 advantage heading into the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
 A pair of homers by ETBU in the bottom of the sixth inning began a comeback bid by the Tigers.  The two runs cut their deficit to four heading into the final inning. The first three Tiger batters in the bottom of the seventh reached base to bring in another run. A groundout with two runners on brought in another run and made it an 8-6 Patriot lead. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases for ETBU with two outs, but UT Tyler stranded all three to hold on for the 8-6 win.  
 
Romero got the start in the circle for the series finale and tossed the first 2.1 innings. Senior right-hander Sam Junkin (Hunt, Texas) faced two batters before freshman right-hander Payton Foster (Lufkin, Texas) worked 3.2 innings. She would earn the win, her first of the season, after allowing four runs on five hits. Bentke came in to record the final three outs and got out of the bases loaded jam. Her efforts earned her the save, her first of the season.
 
The Patriots will play six games next week beginning with a midweek series at Louisiana College. The two teams will meet for a doubleheader beginning at 5 pm. on Tuesday before the series comes to a close with a single game on Wednesday at 1 p.m. UT Tyler will host their Senior Weekend on Friday and Saturday when they host the University of Texas at Dallas at Suddenlink Field.