SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - #19 UT Tyler baseball put together a late rally but came up just short as the Rattlers took a 2-1 lead in the series with a 6-4 win on Saturday afternoon.
The Rattlers began the game by facing the minimum in the first, erasing a one-out walk from the Patriots with a key double play. That brought their offense up in the home half, and they led off with a single to right center. Two batters later, the Rattlers ripped a double to left center to put two in scoring position, and a wild pitch brought home the first run of the game.
Two more runs made their way home in the second, as the Patriots starter
Nate Campbell allowed a double, two walks, and an RBI single and an RBI fielder's choice.
In the third inning, the Rattlers led off with a single before a lightning delay put a 42 minute halt on the action.
Kolby Parker took over for Campbell, and the Rattlers would bring another runner home with a sacrifice fly to center field to go up 4-0. In the fourth inning, the Rattlers scratched home another run, putting together a double, a balk, and a sacrifice fly to extend their lead to 5-0.
The Patriots would finally get their first run of the game in the fifth, as
Hayden Clearman drew a walk and
Jordan Ardoin doubled to right center to put a pair in scoring position.
Lane Hutchinson flew out to right field, and it was far enough to ensure Clearman could scamper home for their first run.
Parker would settle in in the fifth, working a 1-2-3 inning in just 10 pitches to shut down the Rattlers bats. In the sixth, he continued his big efforts, shutting down the Rattlers after a double to left center and a hit by pitch with a double play and a flyout to end the inning and keep the Patriots in it.
Wyatt Wick would take the ball in the seventh for Parker, but the Rattlers would come through again at the plate. A leadoff single plus a wild pitch and an error put runners on the corners, and a single through the right side drove home their sixth and final run of the game.
In the top of the eighth, the Patriots bats finally got rolling, as
Kaston Mason led off with a double and then moved to third on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly from
Ethan Bedgood plated the first run, and two batters later
Kyle Atkinson drilled a home run over the right field wall to cut the lead to 6-3.
Bryson Adair stepped in and delivered a scoreless eighth inning for the Patriots pitching staff, giving their offense a shot to get back in it in the ninth.
Blake LaBuda led off the inning with a blast to left field to make it 6-4, and two batters later Ardoin singled through the left side to keep the rally going. However, that would be the final hit of the night for the Patriots, as the next two hitters went down in order.
For the game, the Patriots scattered their four RBI between Hutchinson, Bedgood, Mason, and LaBuda.
Jordan Ardoin was the only Patriot with two hits on the day.
On the mound,
Nate Campbell took his first loss of the season, going two innings while allowing four earned runs and striking out three.
Kolby Parker in relief allowed just one run over four innings while posting a strikeout.
The Patriots will look to pull off the series split on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch currently scheduled for 1 p.m.
