TYLER, Texas -- UT Tyler kept its impressive unbeaten start intact Friday afternoon with a pair of victories on the opening day of the three-day Texas A&M-Commerce/UT Tyler Invitational, improving to 7-0 when Serena Saldivar's towering fly ball down the left field line pounded the foul pole for a two-run walkoff home run in a 3-2 win over Arkansas-Monticello.
Saldivar claimed Desert Stinger Classic MVP honors after drilling three home runs in five games to lift the Patriots to the tournament championship, and the senior first baseman delivered her fourth home run in dramatic fashion to close out the win over Arkansas-Monticello. Earlier in the day, she was 2-for-3 with a sixth-inning RBI single which helped UT Tyler to an 8-6 win over Texas A&M International.
Haleigh Swinney led the offense with a pair of hits in both games Friday, setting the table for a Patriot offense which produced 11 runs on 14 hits with only 2 strikeouts on the day. Swinney went 2-for-4 with 2 runs in the opener, and she reached safely in all 4 of her plate appearances in the second game, going 2-for-2 with 2 walks. She drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh of the 3-2 win over Arkansas-Monticello to give Saldivar the opportunity to win the game with one swing.
Payton Foster and Miranda Leal each picked up victories in relief, and both improved to 3-0 on the season as the decision in all 7 of UT Tyler's victories this season has gone to relief pitchers.
UT Tyler improved to 7-0 on the season with Friday's wins. Texas A&M International won its second game after losing its opener to UT Tyler, and the Dustdevils are now 1-6 on the year. Arkansas-Monticello is now 0-1 as Friday's contest was the Blossoms' season opener.
How It Happened (UT Tyler def. Texas A&M International, 8-6): The Patriots put up two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead, as Haleigh Swinney sparked the offense with a bunt single before Tristin Anders drew a walk. Both came around to score in the frame, but Texas A&M International pushed three runs across in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead.
The Dustdevils' lead was short-lived, as Shea Smith tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fourth. The top of the lineup produced a three-run frame in the bottom of the fifth, as Swinney led off with a single before four of the next five hitters drew walks to score two runs. Kylie Brown's fielder's choice grounder up the middle scored the third run, extending the lead to 6-3. In the sixth inning, Tristin Anders hit an RBI double and Saldivar added an RBI single for a pair of insurance runs that made it 8-3.
Texas A&M International cut the lead to 8-6 on Briana Arredondo's two-out bases-loaded double which cleared the bases, but Morgan McAlexander was able to leave the potential tying run stranded on the bases with a game-ending flyout to secure the 8-6 win.
Swinney (2-for-4) and Saldivar (2-for-3) each had a pair of hits, and. Anders was 1-for-2 with 2 walks and scored 3 runs. Starting pitcher Sarah Gartman retired 9 of the first 11 hitters to roll through three scoreless innings, and she ended up going 4.2 innings with 4 strikeouts. She surrendered 3 runs on 6 hits before giving way to relievers Payton Foster and Morgan McAlexander, who combined for the final 2.1 innings.
How It Happened (UT Tyler def. Arkansas-Monticello, 3-2): Haleigh Swinney and Tristin Anders drew consecutive walks to get the Patriots started in the first inning of their second game of the day, and Ashley Perez capitalized with a two-out RBI double for a 1-0 lead. Haley Godeaux answered with a one-out solo home run in the second, tying the game at 1-1, and the game remained knotted there until the sixth inning.
Arkansas-Monticello survived three consecutive innings (third, fourth, and fifth) by stranding UT Tyler baserunners in scoring position on well-hit balls into the outfield. The Blossoms turned a lineout to left-center into an inning-ending double play in the third before stranding two more on the basepaths with an inning-ending fly out to right in the fourth. In the fifth inning, the Patriots loaded the bases with two outs before another fly out to right left the bases loaded with no damage.
Arkansas-Monticello put itself into position to steal the victory, scoring an unearned run to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth with an infield single and a pair of two-out errors, but the Patriots brought the top of the lineup to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Swinney drew a leadoff walk, advanced into scoring position on Anders' sacrifice bunt, and Saldivar took care of the rest when she drilled the 2-0 pitch down the left field line for the walkoff victory.
Starting pitcher Katy Burriss surrendered 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits with 6 strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work, and Miranda Leal surrendered just 1 hit while recording the final 5 outs to claim the victory.
Inside The Box Score: The first three batters in the UT Tyler lineup (Haleigh Swinney, Tristin Anders, Serena Saldivar) combined to go 8-for-15 (.533) on the day with 7 walks and 8 runs scored… UT Tyler relief pitchers have collected all 7 decisions among pitchers this season (Payton Foster and Miranda Leal have each picked up the win in all three of their relief appearances)… The Patriots' offense has a team batting average of .349, and Saldivar is one of five UT Tyler regulars batting .400 or better this season… Saldivar is currently batting .632 (12-for-19) with 4 HRs and 14 RBIs, and Swinney is right behind at .571 (12-for-21) with a team-high 14 runs scored.
What's Next: UT Tyler has three games left this weekend in the TAMUC/UT Tyler Invitational, and Suddenlink Field at the UT Tyler Ballpark serves as host for two other neutral-site tournament games. Saturday's action begins with a neutral-site contest between Texas Woman's University and No. 23-ranked Arkansas Tech, and UT Tyler takes on Arkansas Tech at 2:15 p.m. The final game of the day features UT Tyler hosting fellow Lone Star Conference member Texas Woman's University in a non-conference matchup.
Quotable: Haleigh Swinney, Head Coach Mike Reed, Serena Saldivar
