BENTONVILLE, ARK. - #1 UT Tyler completed their second non-conference tournament to open up the 2022 season with 8-4 and 7-4 wins on Sunday afternoon over Emporia State and Illinois Springfield.
The Sunday wins for the Patriots complete a 4-0 weekend at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic for UT Tyler to remain a perfect 9-0 on the season. Redshirt senior
Ashley Perez went 3-for-4 in the morning win over Emporia State and the Patriots plated five runs in the bottom half of the fourth in the afternoon finale against Illinois Springfield to highlight the day for UT Tyler.
Perez had one of five hits in the bottom half of the third inning to jump ahead of Emporia State by a 4-0 advantage to kickstart the day for the Patriots. Emporia State responded with runs in their next two trips to the plate to cut the lead in half at 4-2, but another multi-run inning for UT Tyler in the bottom of the fifth got the lead back out to 7-2.
Perez,
Michelle Arias and
Amanda Marek drove in the four runs in the third for UT Tyler, while a pair of errors by the Hornets led to the rally in the bottom of the fifth. Redshirt sophomore
Tatum Goff and redshirt senior
Shannon Klaus had the two RBU in the bottom of that fifth inning for the Patriots, while
Morgan McAlexander came home to score the first run of the inning on a fielding error for Emporia State.
The Hornets didn't go away following another big inning for UT Tyler, plating two in the top of the sixth to once again cut the deficit to 7-4. Senior
Sarah Gartman took over in that frame for starters
Payton Foster, and didn't allow a single earned run in her 2.0 innings of relief.
Another error, the fourth of the game for Emporia State, led to the eighth and final run for the Patriots in the bottom of the sixth, as back-to-back singles to lead off the inning loaded the bases prior to the error. That error allowed the inning to continue following a double play ball for the Hornets as Arias scored that eighth run on a wild pitch to close out the scoring in game one.
Perez went 3-for-4 as one of four Patriots with multi-hits in the 8-4 win alongside
Courtney Plocheck, Arias, and Klaus, while junior
Payton Foster picked up her fifth win of the season after tossing 5.0 complete innings while allowing four earned runs.
Freshman
Kaylee Davis continued that solid starting pitching in the circle for UT Tyler in game two, tossing her second straight complete game in as many outings in the 7-4 victory over Illinois Springfield.
Illinois Springfield jumped ahead early with an unearned run in the top of the 1
st, but held that advantage for just one inning after UT Tyler scored in the bottom of the second and third innings. Dominguez and Perez drove in those first two runs to flip the lead in favor of UT Tyler.
Two homers in the top of the fourth for Illinois Springfield plated a trio of runs, and made it 4-2 back in favor of Illinois Springfield. The Patriot offense supported Davis in fine fashion after that frame, scoring five runs on just two hits in the bottom of the fourth to make it 7-4.
Klaus hit an RBI single to kick-off the rally to score
Bayli Simon, followed up by a Dominguez RBI on a fielder's choice in which McAlexander beat the throw home to score the tying run. Plocheck walked on following the tying run, and then scored the go-ahead run with two outs after back-to-back recorded outs at the plate for Illinois Springfield.
Plocheck then scored on the ensuing at-bat on what would be the first of three runs scored for UT Tyler on passed balls with two outs. That 7-4 lead was more than enough from that point forward, as Davis settled in and didn't allow another run from that point forward to finish off the complete game.
Davis struckout nine and surrendered three earned runs to collect her second win of the season. Klaus and Goff both had a pair of hits, while Dominguez collected a pair of RBI to lead the UT Tyler offense in game two.
Klaus finished her day 4-for-6 for a Patriot offense that totaled 19 hits for the day.
UT Tyler will head to San Antonio, Texas for a Wednesday doubleheader against Our Lady of the Lake at noon before their home opener on Feb. 18-19 against Arkansas Monticello.
