LAREDO, Texas -- UT Tyler opened its three-game baseball road series at Texas A&M International with a 6-2 win, and the Patriots held a 6-4 lead in the second game of Friday's doubleheader when it was suspended for darkness after 8 innings.
 
Austin Schneider racked up 12 strikeouts to claim the win in the series opener, scattering 1 run on 5 hits to claim the victory. Kyle McShaffry got the offense rolling with a sixth-inning solo home run, sparking the Patriots to 6 runs over the final 4 innings.
 
In the second game, which was suspended for darkness after 8 innings, Johnnie Krawietz registered 10 strikeouts as UT Tyler built a 6-4 lead heading into the final frame, which will continue Saturday at noon. The regularly scheduled third game of the series will begin after a break between the games.
 
With the win, UT Tyler evens its record at 2-2, while Texas A&M International also sits at 2-2.
 
How It Happened (Game 1): Texas A&M International got on the board first on Andrew Holsey's two-out RBI double in the bottom of the third. However, Austin Schneider kept the Dustdevils in check the rest of his outing, retiring 12 of the next 14 batters he faced while the Patriots rallied in the later innings.
 
Kyle McShaffry led off the sixth with a game-tying solo home run to right-center, and the Patriots added three runs in the seventh to take the lead for good. Tommy Tolve drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single, and Jordan Gochenour added a sacrifice fly before Edward Ortiz pushed Tolve across with a 1-out RBI single that extended the lead to 4-1.
 
Texas A&M International pushed an unearned run across the plate in the bottom of the eighth, but the Patriots answered with 2 runs on Cade Watson's 2-out double in the ninth for another pair of insurance runs and a 6-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Matthew McMillan finished off the game with a scoreless ninth to seal the win for UT Tyler.
 
In the second game, which was suspended for darkness after 8 innings, Johnnie Krawietz notched 10 strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work. The Patriots erased a 2-1 deficit with a 5-run sixth, scoring all 5 runs on just 2 hits while Texas A&M International committed 4 errors in the frame. After the Dustdevils loaded the bases with 3 consecutive singles in the bottom of the eighth, they cut the lead to 6-4 by drawing a pair of bases-loaded walks. The game was suspended after the eighth inning due to darkness and will resume Saturday prior to the start of the scheduled third game of the series.
 
Inside The Box Score: UT Tyler pitchers racked up 27 strikeouts in 19 innings Friday, with both starters finishing with double-digit strikeouts while all 3 relievers notched at least one strikeout… Four batters in the Patriots' lineup recorded 2 hits in Friday's opener… Riley Jepson reached safely 4 times, going 1-for-2 with 3 walks.
 
What's Next: UT Tyler and Texas A&M International will resume Game 2 of the 3-game Lone Star Conference series in Laredo on Saturday at noon. After that game is completed, the teams will meet in the third and final game of the series.