TYLER, TEXAS – The UT Tyler Baseball program battled through multiple weather delays to claim a dominant 10-4 victory over Colorado Mesa in game three of the NCAA South Central Regional. With the win, the Patriots are now just one victory away from advancing to the Super Regionals.

Kyle Froehlich got the start on the mound and worked out of an early jam in the first inning before retiring the side in order in the second. The Patriots offense rewarded his efforts quickly.

In the bottom of the second, a double and a single put runners on the corners with two outs. UT Tyler got on the board after a wild pitch scored the first run. A walk and a Mason Hammonds single up the middle made it 2-0. Right after that, a lightning delay paused the game for nearly two hours—but the Patriots offense didn't miss a beat. Once play resumed, Ethan Menard ripped a two-run double down the right field line to extend the lead to 4-0.

The offense continued to roll in the third inning. A one-out double came around to score on a Kyle Atkinson RBI single down the right field line, pushing the lead to 5-0. Froehlich continued to pitch effectively, stranding two runners in the fourth. In the bottom half of the inning, another leadoff double led to a run when Menard delivered his second RBI single of the day to make it 6-0.

Colorado Mesa got on the board in the sixth, scoring two runs on a pair of walks, an RBI single, and a groundout to cut the lead to 6-2. But the Patriots responded quickly. Justin Williams launched a solo home run to left-center in the bottom of the sixth to push the lead back to five.

In the seventh, the long ball continued for UT Tyler. Atkinson led off with a solo homer, and following a Colorado Mesa error that kept the inning alive, Blake LaBuda capitalized with a two-run blast to left field, capping the Patriots' scoring at 10 runs.

Colorado Mesa added two more in the eighth after two singles in the inning. A groundout brought one in, and a rundown during a stolen base attempt allowed another to score, trimming the deficit to 10-4. That would be the final score.

Seven different Patriots recorded hits in the game, including four with multi-hit performances. Menard led the way from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Atkinson and LaBuda each homered and drove in two runs, while Hammonds went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI from the nine-hole.

On the mound, Froehlich delivered 4.1 strong innings, striking out five and allowing no earned runs, lowering his ERA to 1.92 over 65.2 innings pitched this season. Julio Garcia followed and earned his first win of the year with solid relief work.