CANYON, TEXAS - #6 UT Tyler dropped each of their Lone Star Conference openers to #3 West Texas A&M by 4-3 and 7-5 finals on Friday afternoon.
 
The Patriots took the lead in the top of the seventh inning in game one after entering their final at bat of the game down a run, but a walk-off RBI single for the Lady Buffs in the bottom half of the inning secured a 4-3 victory for West Texas A&M. UT Tyler marched back from a 6-2 deficit in game two with three runs in the top of the sixth inning to cut the deficit to just a single run, but an insurance homer for the Lady Buffs in their final trip to the plate and a scoreless top of the seventh inning solidified the 7-5 victory.
 
Game 1
 
Game one remained scoreless through four innings and then saw four lead changes in the final three innings of play in route to the 4-3 victory by the Lady Buffs.
 
Starter Genesis Armendariz went 6.1 innings and allowed three runs off seven hits, all of which came in the final three innings of the game. Armendariz otherwise battled her way through the first four frames unscathed, and finally got offensive support in the top of the fifth inning.
 
Junior JT Smith beat out a fielder's choice at second base on a ball that graduate student Michelle Arias grounded to short, allowing senior Cassidi Mullen to score from second for the first run of the ball game. That first lead change was quickly answered with a two-out, two-RBI double from the Lady Buffs in the bottom of the inning.
 
Both pitchers returned to their early-game form in the sixth with clean innings for both sides. Mullen leadoff the top of the seventh with a triple down the leftfield line, and then scored on an inside-the-park homer from Smith. That swing flipped the advantage back into the favor of the Patriots at 3-2.
 
A pair of singles and a wild pitch set West Texas A&M in position in the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third with one out. Armendariz handed the ball over to freshman Crimson Bryant, who surrendered the game-winning RBI single that scored a pair of Lady Buffs,
 
Mullen went 3-for-3 with two runs scored, while Smith notched a pair of RBI on the inside-the-park homer. Junior Audrey Escamilla provided the additional two hits for the six-hit outing for the Patriot offense in her 2-for-3 effort.
 
Game 2
 
West Texas A&M weathered a UT Tyler comeback in game two in order to win 7-5 and jump ahead 2-0 in the series.
 
Graduate student Courtney Plocheck hit an RBI double with two outs in the top of the first to score Arias for the inaugural run of the game before West Texas A&M answered with a two-out hit of their own, a two-run homer in the bottom of the first that made it 2-1.
 
UT Tyler answered with a run in consecutive trips to the plate in the top of the second with an RBI single through the left side by junior Nicole Price. West Texas A&M plated two runs in the third and fifth innings to extend their advantage out to 6-2.
 
The Patriots made their comeback in the top of the sixth with a trio of runs on three hits, the first of which came on a Sam Schott solo homer. Freshman Makayla Garcia and Smith strung together two out hits, including a Garcia triple, to put the second and third runs on the board.
 
That rally cut the deficit to just 6-5, but a solo homer from the Lady Buffs combined with a scoreless top of the seventh for the Patriot offense closed out the 7-5 victory for West Texas A&M.
 
Arias went 3-for-4 and scored a run and Smith added a 2-for-3 outing in game two at the plate. UT Tyler managed nine hits as an offense.
 
Bryant suffered her first loss of 2024 after going 2.1 innings while conceding four earned runs. Junior Christin Haygood took over for the remainder of the ball game and allowed two earned runs off of just two hits.
 
Up Next
 
The two clubs will close out the top-10 series tomorrow afternoon with a single game at 2 p.m.