CANYON, TEXAS – UT Tyler put together another spirited effort on Sunday on the road, but #4 West Texas A&M used 11 runs in the fifth inning to hold off the Patriots to claim the series win.
 
UT Tyler scored a run in seven of the nine innings on Sunday, but ultimately a big inning from the #4 Buffs proved to be all they needed to get the win by a final score of 8-16.
 
The Buffs took the early lead in the first inning, scoring a run off of starter Kolby Parker off of a throwing error. The Patriots offense settled back in, scoring a run of their own as Ethan Bedgood came around to score on a double to left field by Blake LaBuda.
 
Parker settled in during the second, striking out a pair around a single to keep the Buffs off the board. The Patriots answered with two more runs, as Lane Hutchinson belted a two run blast to put the Patriots back in front by a score of 3-1.
 
In the home half of the third, the Buffs again answered, scoring five runs on a solo home run, an RBI single, and a three run blast to left center to retake the lead 6-3.
 
The Patriots offense however continued to show resilience, as Kaston Mason led off the fourth with a solo blast before Hutchinson drove home another with an RBI single to cut the lead back down to just one run.
 
Parker settled in again in the fourth, working a 1-2-3 half inning with another strikeout as the Patriots remained in striking distance.
 
In the fifth, a single from Hayden Clearman followed by a throwing error plated two more runs, and the Patriots retook the lead by a score of 7-6 through four and a half frames.
 
In the bottom of the fifth however, the Buffs found their biggest inning of the contest, plating 11 runs off of six hits to take a 17-7 lead. In that half inning, they belted a three run blast, drew three RBI walks, two RBI singles, a two RBI double, and an RBI hit by pitch.
 
The Patriots offense again kept chipping away, this time plating another pair of runs as Hutchinson drove home one with a double and Nathan Carriere came around to score on a balk to make it 17-9.
 
Neither side scored in the home half of the sixth or the top of the seventh, and the Buffs added one final run in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI walk.
 
In the top of the eighth, the Patriots again kept chipping away at the lead, this time plating four runs on five hits. Hutchinson led off with a homer, before Bedgood delivered an RBI double. He came around to score on an Austin Ochoa double, and he would come around to score on a LaBuda double.
 
After the Patriots pitching staff put up a second straight blank frame in the eighth, the offense went back to the plate down five in the top of the ninth.
 
Carriere and Hutchinson led off with back to back home runs to start the inning, and later an RBI single from LaBuda plated Bedgood to cut the lead down to just two. However, the Patriots went down swinging for the final out of the contest and a final score of 18-16.
 
The Patriots offense put up 24 hits on the day, led by the monster days from Lane Hutchinson and Blake LaBuda, who each totaled five hits.
 
Lane Hutchinson finished the day 5-for-6, with six RBI, three runs, three homers, and a double.
 
Nathan Carriere also had a big day, going 4-for-6 with four runs scored an an RBI while tacking on a double and a home run.

The Patriots will now get ready to host Eastern New Mexico for Easter weekend in a Thursday through Saturday series. First pitch in game one on Thursday is scheduled for 7 p.m.