SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – The UT Tyler Patriots dropped their first game in over a month, snapping a 16-game winning streak with a 10-7 loss to St. Edward's in game one of the Lone Star Conference Tournament's second week. The Hilltoppers and Patriots combined for 17 runs on 31 hits in a back-and-forth battle delayed by rain.
St. Edward's opened the scoring in the first inning. After a single and a hit-by-pitch, the Hilltoppers plated two runs via a passed ball, an RBI groundout, and a run-scoring single. The Patriots couldn't answer in their half, and a weather delay pushed the game back until 5:30 p.m.
Following the delay, UT Tyler turned to Grant Garza out of the bullpen. The left-hander delivered a strong relief outing, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out three. He kept the Hilltoppers off the board in the second thanks in part to a highlight-reel diving stop up the middle by Tanner Hornback.
UT Tyler got on the board in the third. Two straight singles and a walk loaded the bases for Bryce Jewell, who lifted a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Patriots tied the game in the fourth, again loading the bases with two singles and an error. Justin Williams delivered a sacrifice fly to even things at 2-2.
The Patriots took their first lead in the fifth. Once again, the inning began with two singles and a walk to load the bases. Hornback dropped a single into center to score one, and Ryan Walker added another run with an RBI groundout to make it 4-2.
The Hilltoppers responded in the sixth, scoring two runs on three singles and a wild pitch to tie the game at 4-4. But UT Tyler answered in the bottom half of the inning when a one-out double came around to score on a Kaston Mason single, putting the Patriots ahead 5-4.
After a quiet seventh inning for both teams, St. Edward's took control in the eighth. With two outs, they scored three runs on a walk, two singles, an error, and a hit-by-pitch to flip the score to 7-5. They added insurance in the ninth with a solo home run, a double, and an RBI single to extend the lead to 10-5.
The Patriots showed fight in the bottom of the ninth. A leadoff double scored on a pinch-hit double by Dylan Blomquist, who later came home on a Williams single to trim the deficit to 10-7. But that would be the final score.
Five different Patriots recorded multiple hits in the loss. Mason went 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI while drawing three walks. Williams led the offense with a 4-for-5 performance, driving in two runs and raising his batting average to .413 on the season.
With the loss, UT Tyler falls to 43-10 on the year. The Patriots will play again Friday at 1 p.m. against the loser of #2 Angelo State and #4 Lubbock Christian.
