TYLER, TEXAS – Erin Hill and
Payton Foster allowed just two runs in the two games combined on Saturday of the Irwin Classic for the University of Texas at Tyler softball team.
Hill tossed a complete game shutout and earned her fifth win of the 2021 season in a 3-0 victory in game number one against Our Lady of the Lake. Foster worked around a talented #16 Rogers State offense in game number two, but was credited with the loss despite allowing just a pair of runs in a 2-0 final.
Foster went the full seven innings as well against the #4 Patriot's third top-25 opponent of the 2021 season in Rogers State in game number two, but didn't have the offensive support needed to get UT Tyler it's second win over a ranked opponent in less than a week.
Hill surrendered just four hits in the 3-0 win against Our Lady of the Lake in game number one, stranding six Saints runners in the complete game shutout.
Ashley Perez scored
Haleigh Swinney in the bottom of the first with a double to right center to give UT Tyler the early 1-0 advantage.
Hill retired the first three batters she faced before getting out of a runners on second and third jam with two outs in the top of the second to maintain that 1-0 Patriot lead.
Mak Dominguez scored
Grace Davis, who came on to pinch run for
Serena Saldivar after a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third, on a sacrifice fly to center field to double the lead to 2-0 after three innings of play.
That score would hold until an
Amanda Marek solo homerun to lead off the bottom of the fifth for the Patriots drew the score to 3-0. Our Lady of the Lake was able to move a runner to second in both the sixth and seventh, but was unable to generate any offense after that and kept the Hill shutout in-tact.
Hill struck out three and allowed just two walks in the outing to move to 5-0 on the year. Anders went 2-for-3 in the contest, while Perez, Marek and Domiguez all posted RBI's.
Both runs that Foster surrendered in the 2-0 loss to #16 Rogers State came with two outs on an RBI double in the top of the second and an RBI single in the third. UT Tyler managed just a single hit in the contest, a
Shelby Hughston double to left field in the bottom half of the third.
Foster allowed just two more batters to reach base in the final four innings of work in what would prove to be an all-out pitching battle with Rogers State starter Andrea Morales.
The 1-1 Saturday record for the Patriots moves their overall record to 6-3 on the year and 2-1 on the weekend in the Irwin Classic. Hill and Foster have combined to allow just eight earned runs in 55.0 innings pitched combined for the year.
UT Tyler will finish up play in the Irwin Classic tomorrow with a game against #3 Augustana at 12:15 p.m. and St. Mary's at 4:45 p.m. Those two games will be the final tune-up for UT Tyler as they are set to begin Lone Star Conference play next weekend with home doubleheaders against West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico on Friday and Saturday.
