TYLER, TEXAS – The UT Tyler baseball program improved to 13-2 on the season Friday night, needing just seven innings to defeat the St. Edward's Hilltoppers 10-0 in the series opener. The Patriots totaled 11 hits while the pitching staff combined for a three-hit shutout.

Coleson Abel got the start and set the tone early, retiring the Hilltoppers in order in the first inning. After allowing two singles in the second, Abel worked out of trouble with a lineout and a perfect throw from Travis Bragg that cut down a runner at the plate to end the inning.

UT Tyler broke through in the bottom of the third, plating three runs on four hits. Cole Ketzner opened the inning with a 412-foot home run that left the bat at 105 mph. Bragg followed with a 110 mph double off the right-center field wall. After a wild pitch and walk moved runners into scoring position, Drew Schmidt and Kaston Mason each delivered RBI singles to extend the lead to 3-0.

Abel returned for the fourth and worked around the Hilltoppers' final hit of the night, striking out three in the inning to cap his outing. He finished with four innings pitched, allowing three hits and no runs while striking out six on 77 pitches to move to 3-0 on the year and lower his ERA to 1.00 through a team-high 18 innings.

Jacob Hadden entered in the fifth and retired the side in order, and the Patriots' offense rewarded the bullpen with a six-run fifth inning. Schmidt doubled, Mason walked, and a bunt single loaded the bases for Tanner Hornback, who drove in two with a double to left-center. A wild pitch and Ketzner RBI single pushed the lead to 7-0 before Bragg capped the frame with a towering 423-foot, two-run homer over the right-field fence. Brody Logsdon relieved Hadden in the sixth and, along with Hadden, held the Hilltoppers hitless over the final three innings while striking out three combined. The Patriots sealed the run-rule victory in the seventh with a bases-loaded walk to secure the 10-0 win.

Schmidt, Mason, Ketzner, and Bragg each recorded multiple hits, combining to go 9-for-11 with seven RBIs. Ketzner's home run marked his third of the season, while Bragg's blast was his first of the year.

UT Tyler will continue the series tomorrow with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.