TYLER, TEXAS - A UT Tyler offense that totaled a combined 30 hits in their last action on Saturday afternoon produced just five hits in a midweek 3-0 loss at the hands of Arkansas-Monticello on Tuesday afternoon.
The Patriots returned to the diamond at Irwin Field on Tuesday afternoon for a midweek contest against Great American Conference foe Arkansas-Monticello and struggled to find offensive support for yet another strong bullpen effort by the UT Tyler pitching staff. That Patriot bullpen allowed just two hits after coming on in relief of starter
Johnnie Krawietz in the third, and struck out seven in their seven innings of work.
Krawietz allowed an earned run in each of the first frames to the Boll Weevils to get credited with the loss after surrendering five hits and three walks to the Arkansas-Monticello lineup in his two innings thrown.
Kyler Bumstead recorded his fourth multi-hit game in his last five outings, going 2-for-4 on the afternoon.
Reagan MacDonald,
Judson Schaper,
Nathan Holmes and
Matthew McMillan combined for the effort in relief of Krawietz, shutting down the Boll Weevil offense following the 3-0 advantage after three innings of play. Holmes struck out the side in the seventh while McMillan forced six groundouts against the eight batters that he faced in the eighth and ninth.
Bumstead tried to get a Patriot offense started that came into the contest in great form after completing the weekend Lone Star Conference sweep of UAFS with 32 runs scored between the two games in Saturday's doubleheader. He got the first two hits of the day on the board for the Patriots with a one-out double in the first and a one-out single in the third, but was stranded on after both hits for the day.
The best scoring opportunity came for the Patriots in the bottom of the first after Bumstead's double paved the way for a bases-loaded situation for UT Tyler after Arkansas-Monticello plated the first run in the top half of the frame. Bumstead,
Kyle McShaffry and
Jordan Gochenour were all left on after a strikeout ended the threat.
UT Tyler was able to move just two more runners over to scoring position for the remainder of the contest as Arkansas-Monticello tossed a strong outing as a staff in the non-conference game. Gochenour,
Lukas Polanco and
Corbin Geisendorff were the other three Patriots to record hits in the contest.
UT Tyler will look to stay hot in Lone Star Conference play this weekend with a road series at Oklahoma Christian. That series is set for a single game on Friday, Saturday and Sunday beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
