TYLER, TEXAS – Starter Nick Nieber went 7.1 innings without allowing an earned run to lead #24 UT Tyler in an all-out pitching duel in a 1-0 loss against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday night at Irwin Field.
A sacrifice fly that scored the lone run of the ball game proved to be the difference as Niebur battled Javelina starter Logan Garza for seven innings before handing the ball off to
A.J. Irvin with the bases loaded in the seventh. Irvin worked out of the jam with a strikeout and a flyout of the next two batters to head into the ninth with the game still scoreless.
A leadoff walk and a single that moved the Javelina runner over to third set up a sacrifice fly to deep center that plated the winning run for Texas A&M-Kingsville and knotted the series up between the third and fourth place teams in the Lone Star Conference heading into tomorrow's series finale.
Niebur allowed just five hits and struckout five to earn the no decision, allowing just a pair of base runners to reach second base prior to the bases-loaded situation in the eighth inning. The quality start is the second in a row for Niebur in his starts at Irwin Field has he went five full innings while striking out nine against Cameron in the Patriots last homestand against Cameron back on Mar. 20.
UT Tyler's best chance to score against Garza came in the bottom of the sixth as
Riley Jepson was tagged out at the plate on an attempt to score from second on a
Jordan Gochenour single to right field. That served as the lone true scoring chance for the Patriots as the talented lefty Garza tossed his best start of the year by far for the Javelinas, striking out 12 Patriots on his way to a win.
The Jepson and Gochenour's singles with two outs in the sixth joined
Lukas Polanco's two-out double in the second as the three hits on the day for the Patriots.
The loss sits up a pivotal game three tomorrow afternoon at Irwin Field that will decide the series between two of the Lone Star Conference's top clubs this season. First pitch for that game is set for 1 p.m.
