TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler softball moved to 15-5 overall and 7-1 in LSC play behind a 7-2 win in game one and an 11-3 run-rule win in game two over St. Edward's on Saturday afternoon at Irwin Field.
 
GAME ONE: UT Tyler 7 | St. Edward's 2
 
The Patriots scored all seven of their runs in just three innings, including five in the third, to take control and cruise to an opening win.
 
That run scoring began in the first, with Taryn Barney posting an RBI groundout that allowed Kaylee Cavazos to score. In the second, they added another run, this time via an error at third base as Layne Reh scampered home.
 
The big outburst came in the third, led off by Megan Lau reaching on an error that allowed Berlyn Grossman to score. An RBI walk from Reh, a sacrifice fly from Cavazos, and a two-out, two-RBI double from Kaelyn Lerma broke the game open.
 
While the Patriots bats got rolling, Kearston Gooch delivered another strong outing in the circle. She worked around a leadoff hit by pitch in the first, getting a strikeout and two groundouts. In the second she faced another jam, this time runners on second and third with one out. She came up big again, getting two more groundouts to keep the Hilltoppers scoreless.
 
In the third, the leadoff batter would reach with a single, but again Gooch was solid, getting three consecutive outs to stall out the rally. She would finally allow her first blemish in the fourth, a homer down the left field line to make it 7-1. She would allow one final double, but got three outs around it to cap off her day at four innings and just one run.
 
Alli Kimball took over for Gooch in the fifth and was much of the same, working around a leadoff double to deliver a flyout, strikeout, and a popout. She posted a second straight scoreless frame in the sixth, and capped off the contest in the seventh after allowing just one run after two singles and an error to give the Patriots the 7-2 win.
 
Gooch moved to 9-2 with the win, going four innings while allowing one run on four hits. Kimball added her first save of the season, going three full innings while allowing one unearned run on three hits and four strikeouts.
 
Kaelyn Lerma led the Patriots with two RBI as she went 1-for-2, and Dezirae Lopez had a pair of hits as she went 2-for-4.
 
GAME TWO: UT Tyler 11 | St. Edward's 3
 
The Patriots kept the steady offense going all game long, scoring a run in all but one inning on their way to a run-rule win in six innings of work.
 
Laci Berecochea drove home the first run of the game in the home half, belting a sacrifice fly to center to plate Kaylee Cavazos and put the Patriots up one.
 
Starter Kendall Selitzky twirled a pair of scoreless innings to start the game, including a 1-2-3 second to get rolling. In the third, the Hilltoppers would get a pair of runners on with singles, and cashed them both in with a two RBI double to take their first lead of the day.
 
UT Tyler answered quickly in the home half, getting an RBI triple from Berecochea and then an RBI single from Sydney Linn to take the lead right back at 3-2. The fourth inning saw the game get tied yet again, as St. Edward's struck with an RBI single to pull even at three each before Selitzky got out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.
 
Just as they had all day, the Patriots bats answered again in the home half of the fourth. They drew a pair of walks around a groundout and a popout, and Berecochea stayed hot at the plate with a two-out, two-RBI double to left center, giving the Patriots a 5-3 lead.
 
Kaylee Harris took over for Selitzky in the fifth, and worked herself out of a jam after giving up three singles with a double play and a popout to keep the Patriots in front.
 
The offense kept cruising in their half of the fifth, getting an RBI single from Taryn Barney and then a bigtime three RBI double with two outs from Dezirae Lopez to break the game open at 9-3.
 
After another Harris scoreless frame, UT Tyler capped off the game in the home half of the sixth with steady offense yet again. A trio of singles would load the bases, and a fielder's choice RBI from Barney plated the first run. Two batters later, Lopez came up big again, closing out the game with a single to left field to bring in the winning run.
 
Berecochea and Lopez put up monster games, combining for two hits each along with nine total RBI as Berecochea went 2-for-4 and Lopez went 2-for-3 with two walks.
 
Barney also added in two RBI and two runs, going 1-for-3 in her game.
 
Kendall Selitzky moved to 4-3 with the win, scattering eight hits and three runs to go with a strikeout.
 
UT Tyler will hit the road next week, taking on #8 Angelo State on Friday, March 6^th and then UT Permian Basin on March 8^th. Their next home contest will be on March 13^th against Western New Mexico at 3 p.m.