LUBBOCK, TEXAS - #16 UT Tyler baseball opened their season with a 7-6 win over #12 Lubbock Christian on Friday afternoon that took extra innings to complete.
 
Garrett Arredondo picked up the win after a shutdown 10^th inning as Justin Williams delivered an RBI groundout in the top half of the inning to put the Patriots ahead for good.
 
Rawley Hector went six full innings while allowing three runs, one earned, three total hits and striking out a pair. Drew Schmidt led the offense with a 3-for-3 effort while scoring two runs and driving in one.
 
The Patriots took the early advantage in the contest as Kaston Mason drove in the first run of the season with an RBI groundout that scored Mason Hammonds, but the Chaps got the run back off of three straight walks from Hector to make it a 1-1 game after two innings.
 
The Chaps found a pair of runs in the fourth inning of the contest, both of which with two outs. A hit-by-pitch and a single put a pair of runners on before a groundout moved them over, and an error from the Patriots would allow a pair of runs to score to make it a 3-1 game.
 
The Patriots finally broke free in the fifth inning as they led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch and a bunt single by Schmidt, and Tanner Hornback would steal third to set up runners on the corners with no outs. Hammonds would lob a deep fly to right for a sacrifice fly, but an error from the right fielder allowed Schmidt to move to third. Schmidt would then come around to score as Cade Conway grounded out to make it a tie game.
 
The Patriots offense continued their tear in the sixth, this time as Blake LaBuda drilled a two run home run to left center field. That blast was added onto by Schmidt as he drove home a run with an RBI double, and the Patriots led 6-3.
 
That score would last until the eighth, as a leadoff triple and an RBI single from the Chaps made it a two run game. In the home half of the ninth, the first two Chaps went down in order as Garrett Arredondo came on for the save. However, a walk followed by three straight singles allowed two to come around and score, and the game would head to extra innings.
 
The Patriots loaded the bases with two singles and a walk in the 10^th to leadoff the inning, and Justin Williams came through with the clutch RBI groundout to make it a 7-6 game.
 
That set up Arredondo for the win, and he shut down the Chaps after a leadoff single with a pair of strikeouts and a lineout to end the contest.
 
UT Tyler will now get set for doubleheader Saturday against the Chaps before closing out the series on Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow's first contest will begin at 1 p.m. with the second game approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.