SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – UT Tyler will hit the road back to Tyler thrilled after a 3-1 series win over #17 Angelo State that was capped off by an 11-9 win on Sunday afternoon.
After a scoreless first inning from both teams, the Patriots struck first as their offensive continued their tear from Saturday.
Kyle Atkinson singled up the middle, but was thrown out on a fielder's choice from
Lane Hutchinson. That brought up
Kaston Mason, who uncorked a deep fly over the right field wall to give the Patriots a 2-0 lead.
Patriots starter
Rawley Hector put together a strong start for the Patriots, working a 1-2-3 first and then working around a single and a walk to post his second straight scoreless inning. In the third, he again worked his way out of a jam, as he shut down the Rams bats after a pair of walks.
In the fourth inning, Hutchinson and Mason served as the catalysts for the offense again, as the pair reached on a single and a walk with one out. That brought
Jordan Ardoin to the plate for the Patriots, and he belted an opposite field three run blast to put the Patriots up 5-0.
The Rams would finally get to Hector in the fourth, scoring on a pair of doubles in the first three hitters of their inning. Hector would calm the seas yet again, forcing a groundout and a popout to end the inning with the lead intact.
The Patriots offense dug right back in in the fifth, as
Connor Clark and
Ethan Bedgood led off the inning with a walk and a single before Clark came around to score on an
Austin Ochoa sacrifice fly. Just one batter later, it was
Kyle Atkinson putting up the big hit as he homered deep to center field to make it 8-1. The next hitter of the inning was Hutchinson, and he came through again with a monster home run to left center field to make it 9-1.
In the home half of the inning, the Patriots turned to
Josh Pelfrey, but the Rams would pick up a pair of runs after two doubles and two groundouts to make it 9-3. In the sixth, Pelfrey would get a leadoff flyout before the Rams got a walk, hit by pitch, and a single to plate another run and cut the lead down to just 9-4. That brought in
Julio Garcia, and he got a key groundout and a strikeout to end the Rams threat.
Austin Ochoa took his turn in going yard in the seventh, belting a solo home run to left center to give the Patriots a 10-4 lead. That led to Garcia back on the mound for the 7
th, and he worked a scoreless fram that included a strikeout as he righted the ship for the pitching staff.
In the home half of the eighth however, the Rams found their way to five doubles in the first six hitters to plate four runs and force
Nick Niebur to step in with one out. He gave up a pair of singles to his first two batters faced to make it 10-9, but then Niebur made a huge defensive stop that turned into a double play to end the ining and keep the Patriots in front.
Bedgood went back to work with a one out double in the ninth inning, and Ochoa picked up another RBI as he also doubled to center field to put the Patriots ahead by two with a critical insurance run.
In the home half of the ninth, Niebur trotted out again, and he faced the minimum as he got a strikeout, walk, and ground ball double play to end the game and ensure the series win.
Five different Patriots hitters recorded at least two hits, with Bedgood and Atkinson each collecting three. Both Ochoa and Ardoin each had three RBI, and seven different Patriots recorded a run scored.
Julio Garcia picked up his first win of the season after going two full innings in relief, and
Nick Niebur added his third save of the season behind 1.2 innings pitching, one walk, and just two hits.
UT Tyler will now return home as they host Texas A&M International for a four game set. That series is scheduled to begin on Friday afternoon at 7 p.m. inside Irwin Field.
