TYLER, TEXAS – On a bittersweet day for UT Tyler baseball that featured Alumni Day, Coach James Vilade's UT Tyler Athletics Hall of Fame induction, and the 2023 Issac Tijerina Award being handed out, the Patriots delivered with a pair of huge wins over #25 West Texas A&M.
 
GAME ONE
 
Game one of the day for the Patriots saw a classic pitcher's duel for the first four innings of the day as both teams combined for just three hits over the first three innings.
 
All three of those hits would be for UT Tyler, as starter Dylan Blomquist was absolutely perfect through three innings and totaled five strikeouts over those three innings including striking out the side in the top of the third.
 
The Buffs finally broke through in the top of the fourth with their first hit of the day on a single up the middle. That was quickly followed by a double to right center that scored the runner from first and the Buffs took a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, an RBI groundout brought home the second run of the game and a 2-0 lead for #25 West Texas A&M.
 
An Ethan Bedgood double followed by an Adrian Minjares single would put runners on the corners with two outs for the Patriots in the bottom half, but they were unable to plate a run.
 
Blomquist went right back to dealing with two more strikeouts in the fifth, and the Patriots would back up his stellar outing with a big fifth inning.
 
A walk from Nathan Carriere led off the inning, and Edward Ortiz reached on an error to put two on with no outs. A sac bunt moved them over to scoring position, and an RBI groundout from Kaston Mason plated Carriere. Lane Hutchinson stepped into the box as the next hitter, and delivered a strong single to center field to plate the tying run.
 
Blomquist would hit the first hitter of the sixth, but erased him with a double play and then ended the inning on a groundout to give it back to the offense. Carson Cox drilled a one out double off the left field wall and then moved over to third on a flyout. That left the inning in the hands of 2023 Issac Tijerina Award winner Edward Ortiz, and he came through in the clutch with a bouncing single through the right side to plate the go ahead run.
 
In the top of the seventh, Blomquist went right back out to the mound, and despite the leadoff walk, got the next batter out on a flyout. A single followed, but he forced a ground ball back to himself that turned into a 1-4-3 double play to end the game.
 
Blomquist went all seven innings while allowing just two runs on four hits for the day. He issued just one walk and struck out a season high eight batters.
 
Hutchinson, Ortiz, and Austin Ochoa each had two hits on the day, while Mason, Hutchinson, and Ortiz all collected an RBI.
 
GAME TWO
 
Miles Clack got the ball to start game two for the Patriots, and he came away with his fourth win of the year after another gem. His day got started with a three up, three down first inning, but in the second inning he gave up a solo home run for a 1-0 Buffs lead.
 
It didn't take long for the Patriots to answer, as they got rolling with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to pick up Clack quickly.
 
Tommy van de Sanden led off with a walk, but was thrown out at third trying to advance on a Carson Cox single. Cox moved to second on the throw, and moved to third as Carriere singled through the left side. Ortiz dropped in a perfect bunt to squeeze home Cox, and Ortiz and Carriere would both come around to score later in the inning from a Kaston Mason single to center field.
 
Clack went back to work in the third and worked around a single with another strikeout. In the top of the fourth, Clack hit his first batter, but answered with two straight strikeouts to keep the Buffs off the board.
 
That let the Patriots bats get hot yet again, as they picked up even more run support for Clack in the fourth. Three more runners touched home in that half inning as Jordan Gochenour got the two out rally going with a double. Mason singled him home, and Hutchinson drove a ball deep into the left center field gap to plate Mason. Two wild pitches saw Hutchinson make his way around from second to plate the third run.
 
Clack dealt strongly in the fifth as he posted two more strikeouts in what would ultimately be his final inning as the Patriots offense kept the heat off with six more runs in the fifth.
 
Van de Sanden led off with a walk, and a Cox double moved them into scoring position. Carriere would drive one home on a single, and two batters later Ortiz singled to left field for another run. Gochenour doubled to right center field as the next batter for another RBI, and Mason collected his fourth RBI of the game on a sac fly to center field. An error from the Buffs allowed Ochoa to drive home another run, and Hutchinson would come around to score again on a wild pitch for the final run in the inning.
 
Harrison Lee got the ball to replace clack, and quickly got a pair of strikeouts around a walk in the sixth inning. Two straight singles from the Buffs would bring home a run, but Lee ended the inning with a flyout to right field.  
 
After no runs in the bottom half of the sixth, Lee stepped out to close out the game in the seventh. After a leadoff single, he worked a strikeout and a pair of flyouts to end any threat of a Buffs comeback.
 
Clack went five innings while allowing just one run on two hits. He struck out six hitters and issued no walks in his outing.
 
Gochenour, Mason, Bedgood, Cox, and Carriere each collected two hits on the day while Mason drove in a team-high four runs. Ortiz drove in a pair of runs to join Mason as the two Patriots to have more than one RBI.
 
The Patriots will now get right back to work on Sunday against #25 West Texas A&M in game three of the series. That game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Irwin Field.