TYLER, TEXAS – The UT Tyler Baseball program capped off Senior Weekend in thrilling fashion, completing a series sweep over St. Mary's with a walk-off win on Sunday afternoon. After a tense stretch where the game remained tied 3-3 from the sixth inning onward, the Patriots plated two runs in the bottom of the tenth to seal a 5-4 victory. The win marked their 14th straight and their third consecutive conference series sweep.
Miles Clack got the start for the Patriots and was sharp from the outset. After allowing a leadoff single in the first, Clack retired the next three batters in order. He worked around two baserunners in the second—one by walk and one by hit-by-pitch—by striking out the side. The Patriots struck first in the bottom half of the inning, taking a 1-0 lead after two walks, a single, and a sacrifice fly by Mason Hammonds.
Clack continued his strong outing in the third with another 1-2-3 inning. The Rattlers managed to tie the game in the fourth, manufacturing a run with a leadoff single, stolen base, and two groundouts. Grant Garza relieved Clack in the fifth and worked out of a leadoff single, recording two strikeouts to keep the game tied.
UT Tyler reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Kaston Mason ripped a single up the middle, and Bryce Jewell followed with a towering two-run homer to left field, putting the Patriots ahead 3-1. However, St. Mary's quickly responded in the sixth, tying the game at 3-3 following a walk, an error, and a pair of RBI groundouts.
In the ninth, the Rattlers threatened to break the tie with runners on second and third and no outs, but Garrett Arredondo shut the door with a short flyout and back-to-back strikeouts to escape unscathed. Both teams remained scoreless through the ninth, sending the game to extra innings.
St. Mary's briefly grabbed the lead in the tenth with their first home run of the series, a solo shot to left-center. But the Patriots had one more rally left. A leadoff single and a hit-by-pitch set the table, and after a sacrifice bunt, a throwing error allowed the tying run to cross. Moments later, Hammonds—on his Senior Weekend—delivered the walk-off single, bringing home the winning run and sending the Patriots into the postseason with a 5-4 win.
Arredondo earned his fourth victory of the season, tossing two innings with one run allowed and three strikeouts. Clack finished his outing with four innings pitched, giving up just two hits, one earned run, and five strikeouts.
Offensively, Kaston Mason and Mason Hammonds led the way with multi-hit performances. Eight different Patriots collected at least one hit. Hammonds' heroics capped a standout day as he went 3-for-4 with two RBI, raising his batting average to .250 and bringing his season RBI total to 38.
The Patriots' 41st win of the season sets a new single-season program record. UT Tyler wraps up the regular season without losing a single outright series and now turns its attention to the Lone Star Conference Tournament.
