TYLER, TEXAS – #1 UT Tyler Softball took both games on Friday afternoon on their way to a 2-1 series win and punching their ticket to the NCAA Division II World Series for the 4^th straight season.
 
GAME ONE: #1 UT Tyler: 10, #2 West Texas A&M: 0
 
UT Tyler got a complete game lights out performance from Primrose Aholelei and got two huge innings from the offense to force the if necessary game three.
 
Aholelei went all five innings in the run-rule contest, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out nine batters in a dominant effort.
 
The Patriots would be the visiting team in game one, and after a 1-2-3 frame to begin the game in the first, Aholelei struck out the side while facing four batters.
 
The second inning provided the first major fireworks for the offense as they plated five runs. Miia Campos drove home the first run on an RBI single, and two batters later it was JT Smith coming in clutch with an RBI single of her own that plated two runs thanks to an error. That brought up Ka'Lyn Watson, who delivered a home run that cleared the scoreboard in left field to bust the game wide open and make it 5-0.
 
Aholelei struck out another pair of hitters in the second around a single and a walk, and followed it up with two more strikeouts in the third around a hit by pitch and a single to keep the Lady Buffs at bay. In the fourth, she got her first 1-2-3 inning of the game, getting a flyout and two strikeouts to move things to the fifth.
 
In the top of the fifth, the Patriots got things rolling again as Campos drove another RBI single up the middle that also plated another run via a throwing error and set her up at third. Two batters later it was Smith again with the RBI single, plating a third run in the frame. The final punch came from Bailey Krolczyk, who drove home two with an RBI single to center field to make it 10-0.
 
Aholelei would trot back out one final time in the fifth, and worked a second straight 1-2-3 frame to book the run-rule win.
 
Smith and Campos would each record two hits and two RBI in the game. Watson had a team-high three RBI via her homer, and Krolczyk would also add two RBI to her tally. In total, six different Patriots recorded a hit and eight recorded a run.
 
GAME TWO: #1 UT Tyler: 5, #2 West Texas A&M: 1
 
The Patriots would again get another brilliant performance from their pitching staff in the final game of the series, and got yet another big inning from their offense.
 
Primrose Aholelei would trot back out for the start in game two, and she tacked on a strikeout in the first inning while also posting a 1-2-3 start in the top of the first. In the second, the Lady Buffs scored their one and only run of the day with a solo blast to left field to take a 1-0 lead. Aholelei would buckle down, getting a pair of outs and then ending the inning on a strikeout to keep the rally from growing.
 
Two singles and a walk would chase Aholelei from the game in the third, and the Patriots would turn to Cera Blanchard out of the bullpen. She started her outing with one of the biggest plays of the day, a 5-2-3 double play to get two huge outs, and then got a groundout back to herself to end the frame with no runs allowed.
 
Blanchard would be nails again in the fourth as the Lady Buffs got a runner to third with one out, but she ended the frame with a strikeout and a foulout.
 
That set up the bottom of the fourth for the Patriots, who got a leadoff reached on error from Miia Campos to begin the frame. A fielder's choice and a walk would load the bases, and JT Smith came up huge with a two RBI single through the right side to give the Patriots the lead. Two batters later, Taryn Barney drew an RBI hit by pitch, and then both Bailey Krolczyk and Abbie Behe posted RBI sacrifice flies to make it 5-1 Patriots through four.
 
Blanchard would go lights out from then on, getting around an error and a single in the fifth with a foulout, strikeout, and groundout to end the frame. In the sixth, she worked her magic again, getting a flyout, groundout, and a strikeout to keep the Lady Buffs scoreless.
 
The final inning of the game saw Blanchard lock it down yet again, going 1-2-3 with two groundouts and a popout to end the contest and ensure the Patriots Super Regional win.
 
Blanchard's final line would be 5.0 innings with just three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.
 
The Patriots totaled five hits on the day, and they were recorded by five different players. JT Smith recorded two RBI and Barney, Krolczyk, and Behe each added one.
 
#1 UT Tyler will now await their schedule and seeding at the NCAA Division II World Series beginning May 22^nd in Chattanooga, Tennessee.