CARY, NORTH CAROLINA – The UT Tyler Baseball team was eliminated from the Division II College World Series on Tuesday afternoon, bringing an end to their historic season. The Patriots struggled offensively in the elimination game, and a big seventh inning from Tampa proved to be the difference.
The game began as a pitcher's duel, with both starters keeping the opposing offenses in check. Miles Clack took the mound for UT Tyler and worked around a two-out single in the first inning.
The Patriots were first on the board in the second. Bryce Jewell reached on a one-out single and came around to score when Tanner Hornback ripped a double down the left field line to give UT Tyler a 1-0 lead. However, Tampa quickly responded with a leadoff triple followed by an RBI groundout to tie the game at 1-1.
Clack continued to keep Tampa at bay in the third despite a leadoff single, striking out the side to end the frame. He followed that with a perfect fourth inning, adding two more strikeouts.
From the top of the fourth until the first out in the bottom of the seventh, both teams combined to retire 21 consecutive batters. But in the seventh, Tampa broke the game open with a seven-run outburst. A combination of a double, wild pitch, single, error, walk, and several more base hits led to the decisive 8-1 scoreline.
Despite the loss, Clack delivered a gutsy performance on the mound. He threw 114 pitches over six innings, allowing just three runs and striking out a career-high 10 batters. He finishes his senior season with a 3.95 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched.
Offensively, the Patriots managed four hits from four different players: Ethan Menard, Kaston Mason, Tanner Hornback, and Bryce Jewell. Jewell scored the lone run, while Hornback picked up the only RBI. Hornback capped off an impressive sophomore season tied for the team lead in batting average at .410 and posted an OPS of 1.094 with a .504 on-base percentage.
With the loss, UT Tyler concludes a historic season with a 49-13 record, setting a new program record for wins in a single season. Their appearance in Cary marked the program's first-ever trip to the Division II College World Series, capping a milestone year for Patriots Baseball.
