CANYON, TEXAS – UT Tyler softball swept #1 West Texas A&M on the road on Wednesday night, moving themselves to 30-8 on the year and 22-4 in LSC play.
 
The Patriots handed the Lady Buffs their first LSC sweep of the season and also handed them their first consecutive losses of the season in a dominant showing on Wednesday night. Game two's shutout from Kendall Selitzky was the first time the West Texas A&M offense has been held scoreless all season, and it was the first time since May 16^th, 2025 that they had been held scoreless in a game (a 10-0 win by UT Tyler in the NCAA South Central Super Regionals).
 
GAME ONE: UT Tyler 13 | #1 West Texas A&M 5
 
UT Tyler took it to the Lady Buffs in game one, scoring seven runs in the first three innings then tacking on six runs late to push the game to a run-rule and get the big upset win.
 
Both offenses were high flying in the first inning, with each team scoring four runs. The Patriots got a two run homer from Laci Berecochea to start the scoring, and Taryn Barney followed with a solo shot to make it 3-0. Back-to-back doubles from Sydney Linn and Kaelyn Lerma tacked on another run, making it 4-0.
 
The Lady Buffs in the home half loaded the bases on starter Alli Kimball with two singles and a hit by pitch, and they cashed in all three runners plus one more via a grand slam to tie the game after one.
 
The Patriots offense however didn't slow down, as they tacked on two more runs as Linn drove home two runs via her second double of the game in the second as both Dezirae Lopez and Layne Reh came around to score. Lopez would take her turn driving in a run in the third, driving a single to left to score Megan Lau.
 
While the Patriots offense took off, Kimball settled in nicely in the circle in the second. She worked a 1-2-3 frame, picking up her third strikeout in the process. She would allow another run in the third, but limited the damage with a strikeout and a flyout. The big play came with one out, as a ball to right field looked to drive a second run home in the inning, but the Patriots defense came up with a perfect relay to the plate and cut down the runner.
 
Kimball kept things rolling in the fourth, putting up a big zero as she got a huge groundout double play to end the frame.
 
The offense stayed hot in the fifth, with the Patriots doing big damage as they extended their lead. A throwing error after a pair of singles plated the first run, and Lopez drove home another with an RBI single to make it 9-5. Three batters later, a bloop single from Barney plated two more runs and the Patriots cracked double digits at 11-5.
 
Kimball continued her strong pitching in the home half, going 1-2-3 with a trio of flyouts. The Patriots offense backed her up again in the sixth, as Reh drove a double to the left center gap to plate two more runs and make it 13-5 and just three outs from a win.
 
Kimball trotted right back out for the bottom of the sixth, and promptly posted two strikeouts around a single, then got the final batter of the contest out on a lineout right back to herself.
 
After the first inning, Kimball allowed just one run and just two runners to reach second base. She gave up just two hits over those last five innings, striking out four. For the game she allowed five hits, five runs, one walk, and posted six strikeouts.
 
On offense, the Patriots had at least one hit from 10 different batters, and five different players had at least two RBI. Dezirae Lopez went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI, and three runs. Taryn Barney drove home three to lead the team, and Laci Berecochea, Megan Lau, and Keona Wells each scored two runs.
 
GAME TWO: UT Tyler 2 | #1 West Texas A&M 0
 
For all the fireworks in game one, game two was the exact opposite with just two total runs as the Patriots leaned on an elite showing from Kendall Selitzky in the circle.
 
Selitzky got her day started with a leadoff single, and then sat the next three down in order while posting her first strikeout of the contest. Kaylee Cavazos broke open the scoring in the second inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Sydney Linn, who led off the inning with a triple. In the home half, Selitzky worked through traffic, getting around a double and a hit by pitch with a popout, groundout, and a flyout.
 
In the third, she would face the minimum, getting two strikeouts and then a runner left early after a single to shut down any hopes of a rally.
 
Both teams had a drama filled fourth. In the top half, Taryn Barney led off with what appeared to be a homer, but was called out for missing home plate and therefore erased the run. The Lady Buffs led off their half with a home run of their own, but that homer came from a batter hitting out of order, meaning the tying run would come off the board. Both teams would end up going scoreless in the frame.
 
The Patriots doubled their lead with a key insurance run in the fifth, with Laci Berecochea tattooing a double into the gap to score Layne Reh all the way from first.
 
Selitzky continued to work in the fifth, getting two more strikeouts and a fielder's choice after allowing a leadoff single. In the sixth, the leadoff runner reached yet again with a single, but a flyout, groundout, and foulout would end the frame.
 
That set up the seventh inning with the game on the line, and after a flyout to begin the inning the Lady Buffs reached via a single. Selitzky came up huge yet again, striking out the final two batters on seven and six pitch at-bats to end the game.
 
Selitzky tossed her fifth complete game of the season in the contest and picked up her ninth win. She scattered seven hits and one walk while striking out seven batters in the shutout win, the first time this season the Lady Buffs have been held scoreless.
 
On offense, both Megan Lau and Laci Berecochea went 2-for-3, with Berecochea and Kaylee Cavazos each driving in a run.
 
UT Tyler will now head to the Land of Enchantment to take on Eastern New Mexico on Friday afternoon. Those games are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CT.