TYLER, TEXAS - #3 UT Tyler claimed the 2024 NCAA Division II South Central Regional II crown on Saturday with an 8-2 victory over #25 Colorado Mesa.
 
The Patriots scored four runs in their first three trips to the plate and then closed out the weekend with a three-run seventh inning to head to the 2024 NCAA Division II South Central Super Regional on the heels of three straight dominant wins. Makayla Garcia, JT Smith and Courtney Plocheck all went for multi-hit efforts at the plate and the Genesis Armendariz and Christin Haygood duo in the circle shined against a powerful Colorado Mesa lineup.
 
UT Tyler, who moved to 51-8 on the year with the victory, will face the winner of the South Central Regional I finals between #1 West Texas A&M and Oklahoma Christian in the Super Regionals on Tuesday and Wednesday. The highest remaining seed will host that best-of-three series.
 
The Patriots put a run on the board in each of their first two trips to the plate, the first of which came as the result of two fielding errors by Colorado Mesa in the top of the first. Junior Nicole Price scored on a throwing error by the Maverick catcher on an attempted double play from second after drawing the first of two walks in the frame for UT Tyler.
 
UT Tyler manufactured another run in the top of second after Garcia led off the inning with one of her three singles on the day. Garcia beat out a fielder's choice at second, moved to third on a sac bunt, and then scored on a Michelle Arias sac fly to make it 2-0.
 
Price and Plocheck led off the top of the third with a pair of infield singles and came around to score the third and fourth unanswered Patriot runs to start the game on a fourth Maverick error and a fielder's choice.
 
Colorado Mesa, who set the Division II season record for homers in yesterday's game five of the South Central Regional, cut the lead in half with a pair of solo homers in the bottom of the third. Starter Genesis Armendariz conceded just three hits in the game and responded to those two solo blasts with a one-two-three bottom of the fourth inning.
 
Her offense got back on track in the top of the fifth after Smith leadoff the inning with a single, went all the way to third on a sac bunt and then scored on a sac flyout in foul territory by Garcia.
 
Colorado Mesa threatened to cut the lead down once again in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases after a fielding error by the Patriots with two outs on the board. Armendariz didn't flinch, striking out the final batter of the inning to keep the 5-2 score in-tact heading to the sixth
 
Haygood took over for Armendariz in the bottom of the sixth after a leadoff single and quickly retired the next three batters she faced to send the game into the seventh. Plocheck lead-off a three-run final trip to the plate for the Patriots with a solo homer, Garcia's third single of the day made it 7-2 and a triple from Cassidi Mullen capped off the scoring and the tournament for the Patriots.
 
Armendariz picked up the win to move to 17-5 on the year. The Hobbs, N.M. native went 5.0 innings, striking out five and conceding just a pair of earned runs on the solo homers. Haygood collected her fifth save of the year, retiring all six batters that she faced.
 
UT Tyler managed nine hits as an offense. Garcia went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Plocheck finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI and Smith 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
 
Opponent, location and game times for the South Central Super Regional will be announced as soon as they are available via uttylerpatriots.com.