TYLER, TEXAS - #4 UT Tyler closed out the 2024 regular season in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to win 3-1 over Lubbock Christian.
 
The Patriots close out the regular season winners of 19 straight and will await the results of #1 West Texas A&M's second game of the afternoon against Angelo State to determine if they will earn a share of the Lone Star Conference Regular Season Championship. West Texas A&M has earned the no. 1 overall seed and the right to host in next week's 2024 Lone Star Conference Softball Championships as winners of the tiebreaker in the standings over UT Tyler regardless of the result.
 
The Patriots waited until their last trip to the plate to send the 2024 senior class out on a high note, recording just two hits in the first five innings of play. Senior Genesis Armendariz kept UT Tyler in the game, conceding just a single run in the top of the fourth inning.
 
Lubbock Christian maintained the 1-0 advantage despite UT Tyler loading the bases in the bottom of the fourth. The Patriots were unable to push a run across in that opportunity, but capitalized on a handful of Lubbock Christian fielding mistakes to plate the three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Junior Sam Schott leadoff the inning with a walk and then advanced over to scoring position on a sac bunt from Nicole Price. Lubbock Christian then committed a pair of costly errors, the first on a dropped ball at first base that allowed senior Courtney Plocheck to reach, and then a second on a dropped flyout that put junior JT Smith aboard and allowed Schott and Plocheck to score.
 
Smith went all the way to third after the left and center fielders for Lubbock Christian collided to drop the fly ball and scored on a pinch hit RBI single from Madison Okano to make it 3-1 in favor of UT Tyler.
 
Junior Christin Haygood, who spelled Armendariz in the circle in the top of the sixth, worked through a clean seventh inning to close the books on the Patriot win, Senior Day and the regular season.
 
Haygood moved to 14-0 on the year with the win. Armendariz scattered five hits and struckout a pair of Lady Chaps in her 5.2 innings in the circle.
 
UT Tyler managed just three hits on the afternoon as a club.
 
The Patriots will get 2024 postseason play underway next weekend at the 2024 Lone Star Conference Softball Championships in Canyon, Texas. UT Tyler will be the no. 2 seed in the tournament and will take on the winner of the no. 10 seed and no. 7 seed match-up on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m.
 
A full tournament schedule and information release will be provided via uttylerpatriots.com as soon as it becomes available.