TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler cruised to a 6-1 victory in game one before a wild finish in game two finished off the day with a doubleheader spilt between #17 UT Tyler and Eastern New Mexico.
 
Riley Jepson and Lukas Polanco both hit solo homers in the game one victory to open up the scoring for the Patriots as starter Jacob Blatney went five full innings while allowing just two hits and stuck-out four. The second game of the day at Irwin Field was a wild one as a 3-2 Patriot advantage heading into the final three frames turned into a barnburner as the teams combined for 14 runs in the last three innings of the day.
 
UT Tyler loaded the bases in their final four trips to the plate beginning in the seventh inning as Eastern New Mexico scored four runs, all of which came on a single play, in the top of the 10^th to hang on for the win in extra innings. The Patriots loaded the bases for the fourth straight inning in the bottom half of that tenth inning trailing 10-6, but came up one run short after consecutive walks and a wild pitch scored the three UT Tyler baserunners.
 
Game number one was a much more conventional effort for both teams as Jepson's two-out homer in the bottom of the third put the first run on the board on a day that ultimately lasted over seven hours between the two games. Blatney gave way to the Patriot bullpen with that score still standing at 1-0 in the top of the sixth before Polanco's solo shot to left field doubled the advantage from there.
 
A fielding error by UT Tyler with one out allowed an unearned run to cross for the Greyhounds to cut into that advantage in the eighth at 3-1, but Matthew McMillan came on to record the final two outs on a one-pitch double play for the Patriot closer. A leadoff triple by Roach kicked off a bottom half of the eighth that saw UT Tyler plate three runners to break the game open at 6-1.
 
Hayden Clearman scored Roach on the ensuing at bat with an RBI single and then came around to score along with Tommy Tolve on a Jepson double down the right field line. Jepson's base clearing double provided insurance for the Patriots and allowed McMillan to come on and complete his third save of the 2021 season in the ninth.
 
Jepson went 3-for-5 in the first game of the afternoon, posting three RBI and scoring a run himself. The six UT Tyler runs were all notched by different Patriots as Polanco, Roach and Clearman all had two hits.
 
The series finale game two of the afternoon proved to be anything but traditional for both clubs as the 10-9 extra innings win for the Greyhounds featured a combined 20 hits and eight errors between the two teams. Eastern New Mexico came back after trailing on three separate occasions to force extra innings.
 
The deciding play in the game came with the bases loaded in the top of the 10^th for the Greyhounds as a pair of errors in the same play allowed all four runners for the Greyhounds to score.
 
UT Tyler had the bases loaded with just one out in the bottom half of that inning, but a double play ended the Patriot comeback bid and established the doubleheader split.
 
Jordan Gochenour was the only Patriot to recorded multiple hits despite 10 hits on the afternoon for UT Tyler. Gochenour also led the Patriots with three runs and drew a pair of walks.
 
UT Tyler was forced to use seven different pitchers in the loss after Nick Niebur went 3.1 innings and allowed a pair of runs in the start.
 
The Patriots will look to rebound after the wild finish with a midweek contest at Irwin Field on Tuesday at 4 p.m. against Southern Arkansas.