LONGWOOD, FLA. – Junior Christin Haygood tossed a complete game shutout to help #3 UT Tyler win 3-0 over #13 Western Washington in game one of the best-of-three NCAA Division II National Championship series.
 
Haygood stranded six runners aboard in the shutout to continue her dominance in the circle in the 2024 NCAA Division II National Tournament. Graduate student Michelle Arias put the first two runs on the board with a homer and then laid down a perfect bunt to allow JT Smith to score from first after a fielding mishap from Western Washington.
 
Haygood is now 7-0 in UT Tyler's nine games of the national tournament and has allowed just five earned runs in 47.0 innings in the circle. She has appeared in all nine games thus far, collecting a save in each of her two relief appearances.
 
UT Tyler stands one win away from an NCAA Division II National Championship with game two and the if-necessary game three scheduled to start at 11 a.m. CST tomorrow morning.
 
Haygood got started with her gritty effort in the circle early, stranding runners at second and third with one out in the top of the first inning. She then retired eight batters in a row before a two-out single in the top of the fourth.
 
Arias provided run support for Haygood during that stretch, hitting the 10^th pitch of her second at-bat in the game over the leftfield fence for a two-run homer. UT Tyler continually worked the count in the early stages of the game, drawing five free bases in the first three innings via two hit by pitches and a trio of walks.
 
That 2-0 lead held until the bottom of the fifth for Arias' next at-bat in which she laid down a perfect bunt following JT Smith's leadoff single to start the inning. Smith took third on the bunt and then advanced home on an errant throw by the Vikings to make it 3-0.
 
Western Washington had their best opportunity to work back into the game on their ensuing trip to the plate after the UT Tyler insurance run, starting the inning off with a double and walk. Haygood didn't flinch however, sitting the next three batters down in order to keep the shutout in-tact.
 
Haygood then closed out her fourth win and third complete game of the 2024 NCAA Division II World Series in the top of the seventh with three straight outs to put a critical game one win on the board for UT Tyler in the championship series. She has been even better in the circle in UT Tyler's four games in Longwood, Fla. going a perfect 4-0 while conceding just three earned runs in 28.1 innings of work.
 
UT Tyler totaled five hits and five walks in the game. All five hits came off a different bat for the Patriots.
 
UT Tyler moves to 57-8 on the year with the win and is a perfect 9-0 so far in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.