LUBBOCK, TEXAS – UT Tyler baseball has the offense clicking, and they put that on full display on Friday against Lubbock Christian as they scored 17 runs on the way to their second consecutive run-rule win.
 
The Chaps would get on the board first as Nick Niebur took the mound for UT Tyler. A hit by pitch and a pair of singles plated that run, but Niebur induced an inning ending double play to get out of the jam and prevent further damage.
 
That double play seemed to get the offense fired up, as they quickly attacked the Chaps on offense. The first three hitters reached base safely, and Adrian Minjares drove in the first run of the game. Two more infield singles from Edward Ortiz and Carson Cox plated two more runs, and the Patriots had the rally going with no outs. After an infield fly, Jordan Gochenour walked his way aboard to keep the bases juiced and plate another run. That left it all on the line for Austin Ochoa, and he delivered huge with a grand slam to left field to bring everyone home and cap off an eight run inning.
 
Niebur would allow another run to cross in the bottom half of the second, but came away with his second consecutive inning ending double play to limit the damage yet again. Solo home runs followed in the third and the fourth, but Niebur did a great job of keeping the Chaps limited at the plate as the Patriots answered those runs with runs of their own in the fourth and the fifth.
 
Leading 10-4 in the top half of the sixth, the Patriots began to start looking for the four runs necessary for the run-rule win. A pair of walks got two runners aboard, and Cox answered the call with a double to left center to score one. A hit by pitch followed, and Gochenour and Ochoa each came up with RBI singles to plate the final three runs of the inning.
 
Dylan Blomquist came on in relief of Niebur in the sixth, and worked around a double and an error to keep Lubbock Christian off the board again. That gave way for the UT Tyler offense again, and they rolled to the tune of four runs in the top half of the seventh. Lane Hutchinson started off with a pinch hit home run, and Ortiz followed just two batters later with an RBI single. Tres Thomas came up two batters after that, and he delivered a double down the right field line to give the Patriots their 17^th run of the game.
 
Blomquist was sent back out for the final three outs, and worked quickly around a double to end any threat of a comeback.
 
On the night, each player that started the contest for UT Tyler had a hit and scored a run. The offense was led by a 3-5 night from Austin Ochoa with five RBI. Five other players had at least two RBI, and four total players scored at least two runs.
 
Nick Niebur got the win after going five innings while giving up just six hits and spreading out four runs. Dylan Blomquist came on in relief and finished with two innings pitched, two hits, and three strikeouts.
 
The Patriots get right back to work tomorrow afternoon as they try and keep the bats hot in a doubleheader that begins at 1 p.m.