MIDLAND, Texas -- UT Tyler completed its fifth Lone Star Conference series win of the season with a 16-11 win at UT Permian Basin Sunday afternoon, coming back from a defeat in the series opener with back-to-back victories to claim the series win.
 
The Patriots' impressive offensive performance was led by season home run leaders Riley Jepson, Jordan Gochenour, and Lukas Polanco, as Polanco hit his fourth home run of the year while Jepson and Gochenour each hit their team-leading fifth home runs. Ethan Bedgood added a 4-RBI performance while Kyle McShaffry contributed a 3-for-5, 2-RBI afternoon.
 
With the win, UT Tyler improved to 16-7 overall and 15-6 in Lone Star Conference play, while UT Permian Basin dropped to 9-11 overall and 6-9 in the LSC.
 
The Patriots scored 36 runs in the series, its third consecutive series win and fifth LSC series win of the season, and UT Tyler has averaged at least 8 runs per game in all five series wins.
 
In Sunday's series finale, UT Tyler opened up with a 4-run first inning as the first 4 batters all reached safely. McShaffry opened the scoring with a bases-loaded single, and Ethan Bedgood added a 2-run double with one out before Edward Ortiz completed the 4-run frame with a sacrifice fly.
 
UT Permian Basin surged into the lead, scoring 1 run in the second inning and 4 more in the third to take a 5-4 lead. However, Jepson delivered a 2-run home run to right field with 2 outs in the fourth inning to give the Patriots the lead for good. Lukas Polanco added a solo home run in the fifth, and McShaffry added another RBI single in a 2-run sixth as UT Tyler extended the lead to 9-5.
 
Gochenour's 2-run homer in the eighth helped answer UTPB's 2-run sixth, and the Falcons scored 2 more in the eighth to pull within 3 runs at 12-9. The Patriots added 4 insurance runs in the top of the ninth, and Matthew McMillan limited the Falcons to 2 runs in the ninth to finish off the 16-11 victory.
 
A.J. Irvin was credited with the win, improving to 2-0 after tossing 2 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts. Keith Long also threw 2 innings of relief, posting a pair of shutout frames in the fourth and fifth which allowed UT Tyler to take the lead for good before giving way to Irvin after the first two batters in the bottom of the sixth reached base.
 
UT Tyler hosts Texas A&M-Kingsville in another 3-game Lone Star Conference series next week, hosting the Javelinas for night games on Thursday, April 1 (7:00 p.m.) and Friday, April 2 (6:00 p.m.) before wrapping up the Easter Weekend series on Saturday, April 3 at 1:00 p.m.