TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler will hold their third straight series sweep as Lubbock Christian picked up a 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon at Irwin Field.
The early scoring started quickly for Lubbock Christian, as a solo home run off of starter
Rawley Hector gave them a 1-0 lead after one. Hector worked around a pair of walks to keep the Chaps at 1-0 after one, and then worked a quick 1-2-3 second inning to maintain the score.
The Patriots got a walk and a single in the first, but could not plate a run. In the second, they got a leadoff hit by pitch, but could only move the runner to second base.
In the top half of the third inning for the Chaps, they struck again. This time a leadoff double to left field kicked things off, and two straight singles plated their second run. An RBI groundout and another RBI single would plate two more to make it 4-0 before Hector induced a huge 4-6-3 double play to limit the damage.
Hector battled back in the fourth, getting a pair of strikeouts before another solo home run from the Chaps made it 5-0 in their favor.
That brought on
Josh Pelfrey for the fifth, and he worked around a leadoff single with his own pair of strikeouts and a lineout to end the inning and continue to give the Patriots offense their chances.
In the home half, a walk and a hit by pitch put two on with no outs, but a popped up bunt and a groundout moved them over to scoring position with two outs. The final batter of the inning would go down swinging, and the Patriots trailed 5-0.
Pelfrey in the sixth picked up another pair of strikeouts and worked his way around a double and a walk for a groundout to end the inning as he continued to put up great numbers in relief.
That effort made way for the Patriots offense, who finally broke through in the sixth inning.
Ethan Bedgood and
Austin Ochoa led off with singles, and two batters later
Blake LaBuda drew a hit by pitch to load the bases.
Hayden Clearman picked up an RBI groundout to make it two outs but freshman
Connor Clark unleashed a deep home run to left field for his first collegiate hit and a three run blast to cut the lead down to 5-4.
Logan Henderson stepped in to replace Pelfrey and he worked a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts to get the Patriots offense back to the plate. In the home half, a leadoff single was followed by a two out walk, but the Patriots could not get the tying run home.
Henderson trotted back out for the eighth, and struck out two more hitters around a walk and a hit by pitch as he held the Chaps scoreless for the fourth consecutive inning.
After another scoreless eighth for the Patriots offense,
Nick Niebur stepped on to the mound and wiped out the Chaps with a strikeout and a double play to face the minimum and give the Patriots one last shot in the home half of the ninth.
The Patriots picked up two more walks around a strikeout and a groundout in the inning, and then a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. However, a flyout to center field would end the game and give the Chaps the 5-4 win and a series split.
On the day,
Ethan Bedgood went 2-for-5 with a run scored, and was the lone Patriots hitter with two hits.
Connor Clark earns his first hit as a Patriot with a three run blast to make him 1-for-2 on the day with a walk.
The Patriots bullpen continues to shine, as Pelfrey, Henderson, and Niebur each combined to allow just three hits over five innings while striking out nine.
Next up for UT Tyler will be a road series in San Angelo, Texas where they will face #3 Angelo State in a four game set. That series is set to begin on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.
