KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – #4 UT Tyler softball was nothing short of dominant throughout the day on Wednesday as they swept the doubleheader over Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
GAME ONE: #4 UT Tyler: 18, Texas A&M-Kingsville: 3
 
The Patriots took control early in game one, scoring five runs in the first three innings, before 13 runs in the top of the sixth led to a run rule win.
 
Walks from JT Smith and Ka'Lyn Watson around a sacrifice bunt from Sam Schott put runners on the corners early, and a wild pitch would allow Smith to trot home for the first run of the game. Taryn Barney would slug a double to left to drive home Watson, and she scored as Jordyn De Los Santos doubled to right field and the Patriots led 3-0 after a half inning.
 
Smith would slug a solo shot in the top of the second, growing the lead to four. The Javelinas got a pair of doubles to lead off the inning in the home half, and later got a sacrifice fly as they cut the lead down to two.
 
The two teams traded runs in the third, with the Patriots getting a sacrifice fly from De Los Santos and the Javelinas scoring on a solo home run.
 
In the fourth, starter Kaylee Davis would ultimately be chased from the game after a one out single, making way for Primrose Aholelei. She responded by hitting the first batter but then getting two straight strikeouts to end the rally.
 
She would allow just one baserunner the remainder of the game, a single in the fifth. She also tacked on three strikeouts as she struck out the side in the sixth inning.
 
The Patriots offense went scoreless in the fourth and fifth frames, but exploded for 13 runs in the sixth on nine hits. Smith would play a huge role again, doubling through the left side for the first two RBI. Schott would single and bring home another run, and she would come around to score on an RBI walk from De Los Santos.
 
Bailey Krolczyk drove in two more with a single, and Miia Campos cleared the bases on a double to right center to make it 14-3. The first out would then come on a groundout 11 batters into the inning. Two hit by pitches and a wild pitch would bring another run around before a strikeout, and Barney drove home two more with another double and then came around to score on a single from Trinity Hale to run the lead out to 18-3.
 
10 different players combined for 15 hits, and 10 players recorded at least one run. The top four hitters in the lineup consisting of JT Smith, Sam Schott, Ka'Lyn Watson, and Taryn Barney combined to go 9-for-13 with 12 runs scored and 7 RBI.
 
GAME TWO: #4 UT Tyler: 7, Texas A&M-Kingsville: 0
 
Game two of the day would see the Patriots finish off the sweep, led by another dominant effort in the circle by Cera Blanchard and early offense by the Patriots.
 
Blanchard began her outing by striking out five of the first nine hitters she faced while not allowing a single baserunner through three innings. It took a two out single in the fourth to break up her perfect game effort.
 
The Javelinas got another baserunner in the fifth via a single, but were unable again to move the runner around. A leadoff single in the sixth came again for the Javelinas, but Blanchard again kept things locked down as she got two fielder's choices and a groundout to end the frame.
 
In the bottom off the seventh, Blanchard went right back out, finishing off her complete game with another strikeout, flyout, and a popout to end the contest as just five batters reached base for the game. She struck out eight batters and issued one walk and allowed just three hits to move to 17-3 on the year.
 
While Blanchard was lights out, the Patriots continued to be stout on offense. Taryn Barney drew a hit by pitch that scored the first run of the game in the first inning, and De Los Santos drove home the second run with another hit by pitch in the second. Barney went on to draw an RBI walk to follow, and the Patriots led 3-0 after two.
 
In the third, Angelique Rangel singled through the left to plate a run, and she later came around to score as Sam Schott reached on an error. The Patriots would plate two more in the fifth and sixth, one from a De Los Santos single and another from a Schott double.
 
JT Smith went 3-for-5 in the nightcap with two runs scored, and six other Patriots added one hit each. Angelique Rangel went 1-for-2 with 1 RBI, 2 runs, and 1 walk.
 
UT Tyler will get back to work on Friday as they now head down to Laredo, Texas to take on Texas A&M International beginning at 12 p.m.