LAREDO, TEXAS – UT Tyler baseball continues to post incredible numbers at the plate, and they showed that off yet again on Saturday afternoon as they took both games of the doubleheader against Texas A&M International.
 
GAME ONE
 
The Patriots wasted no time in getting out in front in game one, pumping out two runs thanks to RBI singles from both Ethan Bedgood and Lane Hutchinson to score Jordan Gochenour and Austin Ochoa.
 
Cade Maclin got the start for UT Tyler, but Texas A&M International would respond to the two Patriot runs with a three run blast in the bottom of the first to take their first lead of the series.
 
Down 3-2, the Patriots went right back into action in the second, conjuring up four runs as they walked home a run, had a sacrifice fly, and then got a two RBI single to left field to blow open the game in their favor.
 
Maclin trotted back out for the second inning, and worked around a single and a walk to cool off the Dustdevils offense. He would hand the ball off to Julio Garcia, and he worked a 1-2-3 inning in the third before allowing a solo home run in the fourth inning. In the fifth, he got another 1-2-3 inning as he continued to hold off the Dustdevils bats.
 
Still trailing 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth, Texas A&M International found some more offense off of Garcia as they hammered a two run blast to tie up the ballgame.
 
Suddenly tied up, the Patriots headed to the plate looking to provide some help to their pitching staff, and they answered the call yet again. The inning began with the Patriots loading the bases, and Kaston Mason drew an RBI walk to break the tie. An RBI groundout followed for a second run, and Carson Cox cleared the bases with a double to left field to drive in the third and fourth runs of the inning and give the Patriots a 10-6 lead.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, head coach Brent Porche turned the ball over to Garrett Arredondo to close out the game. It was a rocky start, as he hit his first batter and then allowed an infield single, but bounced back with a strikeout. A walk loaded the bases, but Arredondo got out of the jam with an infield fly and a fielder's choice to end the game.
 
Ethan Bedgood led the way on offense for UT Tyler, going 2-4 with 3 RBI in the contest. Lane Hutchinson and Tommy van de Sanden also added in two hits each, and Adrian Minjares, Ochoa, and Gochenour each scored two runs.
 
Julio Garcia earned the win after going four full innings and allowing three runs while striking out six. Garrett Arredondo got the save after finishing off the contest in the seventh inning.
 
GAME TWO
 
Game number two of the day took on a completely different feel than the first through the first five innings of the day. The Patriots loaded the bases in the first inning, but were not able to plate a run.
 
That would be the most success either team had through the first four innings, as Miles Clack and Jan Cabrera allowed just three hits combined in those innings.
 
For Clack, he worked around a single in the first by striking out two and getting a groundout, and in the second he erased another single by getting a lineout and a double play. He would silence the Dustdevils offense in the third and the fourth, and that set up the Patriots to get to work in the fifth.
 
In that fifth inning, the Patriots finally broke through on offense as Lane Hutchinson drilled a solo shot to give UT Tyler the 1-0 lead. In the bottom half, Clack kept up the solid work by getting another pair of groundouts and a foulout.
 
That setup a big sixth inning for the Patriots, as they loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. Hutchinson singled to center to score a run, and Edward Ortiz drove in his first run of the day after reaching on an error. Just two batters later, Tres Thomas was hit by a pitch and drove in another run. The final run of the inning came from another RBI walk, as Jordan Gochenour was the recipient of the base on balls.
 
Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dustdevils jumped on Clack early by loading up the bases with no outs. A two RBI single cut the lead down to three, and that would be the end of the day for Clack.
 
That meant Logan Henderson would head to the mound, and the Dustdevils just three batters later would have the game tied as they got an RBI hit by pitch and another two RBI single.
 
With the game tied heading to the seventh, the Patriots needed some quick offense, and they got it again as Tommy van de Sanden delivered a pinch-hit RBI single to right field to give the Patriots the one run lead.
 
In the home half, Henderson gave up a leadoff single, but then sat down the next three Dustdevils with three straight strikeouts to give the Patriots the win.
 
Lane Hutchinson led the way in game two on offense, going 3-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Ethan Bedgood would also add in two hits, and Dylan Blomquist scored a pair of runs.
 
Logan Henderson got the win after going two innings and allowing one earned run and two hits while striking out five batters.
 
UT Tyler will look for their second sweep of the season on Sunday as first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Laredo, Texas. Following Sunday's game, the Patriots will head back to Tyler for a four game series against Texas A&M-Kingsville beginning on March 10^th at 7 p.m.