\LONGWOOD, TEXAS - #3 UT Tyler used five unanswered runs to help power their way to a 5-2 semifinal win over #22 Lenoir-Rhyne and a trip to the 2024 NCAA Division II Championship series.
 
The Patriots put up three runs in their first two trips to the plate to gain an early lead that they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way in. Junior Christin Haygood allowed just two hits and went the complete game in the circle to move to 21-1 on the year.
 
UT Tyler advances to the best-of-three NCAA Division II Championship series for the first time as a Division II program after making it to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II World Series in each of the last two seasons. The Patriots will await the winner of Wednesday evening's Indianapolis and Western Washington game to see who they will meet in Friday and Saturday's championship series.
 
Game one of that series will get started at 11 a.m. CST on Friday while game two and the if-necessary game three will get started at the same time on Saturday.
 
Haygood was outstanding once again in the circle for UT Tyler, collecting her third win of the NCAA Division II World Series and sixth win in the Patriot's eight NCAA Division II National Tournament games. She struckout four on Wednesday afternoon and allowed her only hits via a pair of doubles by the Bears.
 
UT Tyler scored two runs in their first trip to the plate on a two-RBI single from Michelle Arias up the middle. That two-out hit drove in Sam Schott and JT Smith, who advanced on with a leadoff walk and a single to left.
 
Graduate student Courtney Plocheck hit a sac fly in the bottom of the second to make it 3-0 in favor of UT Tyler, scoring Cassidi Mullen, who made an outstanding slide into home to avoid the tag on a shallow fly to centerfield.
 
Haygood retired the first six batters she faced in order and then stranded a leadoff double by Lenoir-Rhyne at second in the top of the third.

A pair of triples in the bottom of the fifth made it five unanswered runs for UT Tyler to start the game as Schott hit the first three-bagger with one out and then scored on an RBI single from Nicole Price. Price came home two batters later on a triple to right center from Smith.
 
A walk, hit-by-pitch and two-out double in the top of the sixth put the lone two runs on the board for the Bears to bring the score to it's 5-2 final.
 
Smith finished 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored, while Schott scored twice and finished 1-for-2. UT Tyler had six hits as a team.
 
 UT Tyler moves to 56-8 on the year with the win.