KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – UT Tyler baseball will head back to Tyler with their second straight road series win after taking the series over Texas A&M-Kingsville 3-1 with a 6-1 win in the series finale.
The Patriots got their offense going in the top of the first inning, as Ethan Mendard drilled a two out triple to right center field and then came home as
Ethan Bedgood singled to left field to make it 1-0.
That inning gave
Rawley Hector run support before he even came on to pitch, and he turned that into a 1-2-3 inning after wiping out a walk with a double play and then getting groundout.
In the second, the Javelinas got their lone run of the game, as they led off with a walk and a single before a sacrifice fly plated a run. That left two one with one out, but Hector buckled down and struck out the next two hitters to keep the Patriots tied. In the third, he went back to work, delivering two more strikeouts as part of a 1-2-3 inning.
The Patriots offense came back to life in the fourth, as
Kyle Atkinson singled up the middle and then
Blake LaBuda grounded into a fielder's choice. That brought up
Jordan Ardoin, who drilled his second home run of the year over the left field wall for a 3-1 Patriots lead.
Hector came out for the fourth, and after a leadoff strikeout allowed a single and a walk to put two on with one out, but got the pitcher's best friend in a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. In the fifth, he struck out another pair of hitters on his way to his third 1-2-3 inning of the day.
He came back out for the sixth, but the Javelinas led off the inning with two straight singles. Hector battled back, getting a lineout and a fielder's choice to get two outs, and then silenced the bats with another strikeout to end the inning.
The Patriots offense again posted a needed insurance run in the top half of the seventh, as Menard posted his fourth home run of the year, this time a solo shot to left field to make it 4-1. Later in the inning,
Austin Ochoa flew out to left field for a sacrifice fly to drive home Bedgood to make it 5-1.
In the home half of the seventh, Hector got a foulout and then allowed a walk and single before being lifted for
Nick Niebur. Niebur got a clutch strikeout before allowing a hit to load the bases. He had the answer to the inning though, and got a foulout to first base to end any threat from the Javelinas.
Niebur went back to work in the eighth, working a 1-2-3 inning that included a strikeout. His offense scored one more run in the ninth as
Lane Hutchinson drove an RBI single up the middle to score
Nathan Carriere. In the ninth inning, Niebur got a strikeout and a groundout to start the inning, but the Javelinas battled back with a pair of singles. With two on and two out, Niebur closed out the game with a clutch groundout and ended the game at a score of 6-1.
Rawley Hector picked up his third win of the year after going 6.1 innings while allowing just one run on five hits. He walked four but struck out eight hitters on his way to the win.
In the Patriots lineup, Menard, Bedgood, and Ardoin each posted two hits as Menard and Ardoin each had two extra base hits. Ardoin had a two RBI day and Menard scored a pair of runs.
The Patriots now return home to Irwin Field for this weekend's series, where they will host St. Edward's in a four game set. That series is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
