AUSTIN, TEXAS – UT Tyler baseball got the bats rolling in the sixth inning, but late offense from #12 St. Edward's ultimately was the difference in a tight series opening battle.
 
Both pitchers worked hitless first innings, as Dylan Blomquist got the ball to start the game for the Patriots. In the second inning, the Patriots got the first hit of the ballgame as Lane Hutchinson reached with a single, but they were unable to move him around and went to the bottom of the second still tied.
 
In that bottom half, the Hilltoppers used just two batters to break the scoreless tie as they led off with a single and then tripled home the run to lead 1-0. A walk and a pair of singles followed, and the Hilltoppers led 2-0. That lead would stretch to three after a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, and the score would be 3-0 after two.
 
A fourth run crossed the plate in the third for #12 St. Edward's after a double and a single were followed by an RBI fielder's choice. That led to the Patriots in the fourth inning, and they put a runner in scoring position after a walk and a fielder's choice, but were unable to move the runner any further.
 
Blomquist would finish out his outing in the bottom of the fifth, as he worked around two singles to leadoff the inning with two groundouts and a strikeout to end the threat and keep the UT Tyler offense within range.
 
That big inning paid off immediately, as the Patriots offense found themselves cooking in the sixth. Carson Cox led off by reaching on an error, and Nathan Carriere walked right behind him to put two on with no out. Jordan Gochenour loaded the bases on a single, and then Cox and Carriere would both score on separate wild pitches to cut the lead in half. Ethan Bedgood drilled a single to center to plate another run, and Adrian Minjares drove in the fourth run of the inning with an RBI single of his own.
 
With the score all squared up, AJ Irvin stepped to the mound and kept the Hilltoppers offense at bay to push the game to the seventh. The Patriots in that seventh inning would get two runners on but could not capitalize.
 
Julio Garcia stepped up to pitch the bottom of the seventh, and after a leadoff double, got a strikeout to get the first out. A hit by pitch followed, but a strike-him-out-throw-him-out caught the runner stealing second and ended the inning with the big double play.
 
In the top of the eighth, the Patriots loaded the bases as Bedgood and Minjares reached on a walk and a single, and then two batters later Tommy van de Sanden walked himself with one out. However, the Patriots offense could not push the run across, and they headed to the bottom of the eighth still tied.
 
In that eighth inning, the Hillltoppers would break the tie with two out hitting as two singles and a walk plated the first run, and then a double plated two more runs before the third out was recorded as the batter attempted to reach third.
 
In the top of the ninth, the Patriots would attempt to get a rally going, but went down in order to give #12 St. Edward's the series opener.
 
Both Jordan Gochenour and Adrian Minjares posted 2-for-4 games, as Bedgood and Minjares posted one RBI each. Nathan Carriere posted two walks and scored one run along with Cox, Gochenour, and Austin Ochoa.
 
Dylan Blomquist went five full innings in a no decision, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out three. Julio Garcia got the loss after going 1.2 innings while allowing three runs.
 
The Patriots get a quick chance to bounce back on Saturday as the doubleheader gets started at 12 p.m. in Austin, Texas. The series is scheduled to conclude with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday.