TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler batted .375 as a team in the contest and scored all 13 of their runs from the fifth inning and on as they took down the Dustdevils by a score of 13-3.
Hayden Collins was the man on the bump for the Patriots as he got the start in the final game of the four game series against Texas A&M International. After getting a groundout to start the game, Collins hit the next two batters before giving up a double that scored both runners.
In the second inning, Collins got a pair of strikeouts mixed in with a bunt single and a walk to put two runners on with two outs. Isaac Gonzalez singled up the middle and made the score 3-0, but that was all the runs that the Dustdevils would score on the day.
The Patriots offense struggled out of the gates, putting together just two hits, a walk, and a hit by pitch over the first four innings. Two runners reached in the first and the fourth, but nobody was able to come around and score as the Dustdevils pitcher Joseph Garza-Delapena had it working.
In the fifth inning, the Patriots needed a spark on offense, and turned to
Kyle McShaffry to start the rally. With Garza-Delapena not having much trouble against the right handed hitters, Coach Porche sent in McShaffry to pinch hit, and he laced a double to right center field for just the third hit of the game.
Kyle Hawkins came in to pinch hit as the next hitter, and worked a walk to put two runners on.
Tanner Roach laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners, and
Riley Lambert drove a deep fly ball to center field to push across the first run of the game for UT Tyler.
Brandon Petix was called on in relief at the end of the fourth inning, and after working a three up, three down inning in the fifth, Petix went back to work in the sixth. Now with a run on the board behind him, he gave up a leadoff single, but set the next three hitters down in order to give the offense the chance to close the gap.
Jordan Gochenour was up to lead off the sixth inning, and promptly cut the score to 3-2 by driving a ball to over the center field wall for his first home run of the season. After a walk, Garza-Delapena was chased from the game and replaced by Rolando Riza. After a single and another walk to load the bases, Riza was replaced by Emilio Duque.
A leadoff walk to McShaffry plated the tying run, but that was following by a strikeout and a popup. With two outs and the bases loaded, Lambert was hit by a pitch to score another run and that gave the Patriots the lead.
That hit by pitch ran Duque from the game and gave him the loss in the contest. After a ground ball that turned into an error by the shortstop, two runners came across and the lead was up to three. Gochenour stepped up after leading off the inning, and drove in two more with an RBI double down the left field line. After an RBI single from
Tommy van de Sanden,
Lukas Polanco drove him home with a double to deep left center field to give the Patriots their ninth run of the inning.
With the game well in hand, the Patriots needed just three runs to enact the run rule for the second time of the series. In the bottom of the eighth, Lambert and
Ethan Bedgood started off with a pair of singles and Gochenour followed with a walk to load the bases. Van de Sanded moved everyone around with a deep sacrifice fly and plated another run. After another walk and a flyout, it was McShaffry who came to the plate with the chance to end the game. He responded with an opposite field double to the left center field gap and drove in Gochenour and Bedgood to end the game with a score of 13-3.
Five different Patriots found their way into the box score with multiple hits.
Kyle McShaffry led the way with a 3-for-3 day that included two runs, three RBI's and a walk.
Jordan Gochenour finished the contest going 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI's and two walks.
Riley Lambert and
Tommy van de Sanden each had two hits, two runs, and two RBI's.
Lukas Polanco was the other hitter with two hits, and he added in a run and an RBI.
Brandon Petix got his second win of the season after coming on in relief for Collins. Petix went 2.1 innings while giving up just one hit and striking out two. The Patriots bullpen allowed just two hits combined in relief of Collins and struck out five hitters over 4.1 innings of work.
The Patriots will now head out to Texas A&M-Kingsville for a four game series against the Javelinas this weekend. Game one is scheduled for Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. That will be followed by a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. and then a final contest on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
