TYLER, TEXAS – #22 UT Tyler softball fell to #15 Oklahoma Christian in scores of 7-3 and 7-5 on Sunday afternoon to fall to 36-10 overall and 28-6 in LSC play.
 
GAME ONE: #22 UT Tyler 3 | #15 Oklahoma Christian 7
 
The Eagles would jump out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, taking a lead they would never relinquish. After a leadoff single and walk, they would score the first run on an RBI single. The next batter would double, bringing home another for the lead on starter Kearston Gooch.
 
Gooch worked a 1-2-3 second to calm the seas, but the Eagles kept up the pressure with two more runs in the third behind two singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly to take a 4-0 lead.
 
They would again strike in the fourth, this time totaling three runs in the top of the fourth behind a two singles and a double and taking advantage of an error to lead by a score of 7-0. That last double would chase Gooch from the game, and Addison Martindale would come on to get the final out of the frame.
 
The Patriots offense got on the board in the home half, connecting on singles from Laci Berecochea and Sydney Linn, and a big double from Taryn Barney to get a pair of runs.
 
Martindale would be stout the rest of the way, working a 1-2-3 fifth, facing the minimum in the sixth with a lineout double play, and then working a 1-2-3 seventh inning to keep the Patriots in it.
 
The offense would load the bases with two outs and get an RBI walk from Barney to bring the tying run to the plate, but a fielder's choice would end the game.
 
Six different Patriots recorded a hit in game one, and Taryn Barney and Sydney Linn combined for all three RBI.
 
GAME TWO: #22 UT Tyler 5 | #15 Oklahoma Christian 7
 
The Patriots would flip the script in game two, this time jumping out to a 5-0 lead, but the Eagles showed resilience in a big comeback.
 
They would score their five runs over the first four innings, building up a big advantage. In the first, they loaded the bases before a two RBI single to left center from Kaelyn Lerma to put the Patriots on top for the first time on the day.
 
The Patriots added another in the second, this time as Layne Reh came all the way around from first on a Berecochea double that included a throwing error from the Eagles. In the third, back-to-back doubles on back-to-back pitches from Linn and Lerma stacked on another run, making it 4-0.
 
Their final run in the stretch came from Barney, who drove home Reh on an RBI single to right center to make it 5-0 after four frames.
 
Starter Kendall Selitzky worked her way in and out of traffic over the first four innings on her way to putting up four zeros. She worked around a single in the first and second, allowing just one runner to reach second. In the third the Eagles added two singles, but Selitzky struck out a pair and left them stranded. In the fourth she was back with her magic, getting two more strikeouts to end the inning after a single and a double.
 
The Eagles finally broke through in the fifth, getting an RBI single to right field and then a two RBI single up the middle to cut the lead down to 5-3. After the Patriots went scoreless in their half of the fifth, the Eagles again found their stride with a two RBI double to right center, chasing Selitzky from the game.
 
Martindale trotted back out in relief, and her defense picked her up as Megan Lau threw out a runner at the plate on a single to left and then caught a fly ball to end the inning.
 
In the seventh, the Eagles put two on with a single and a walk, but Martindale got a groundout and popout to get two outs. The next batter would break the game open, doubling to left center to plate both runners and give the Eagles the lead.
 
In the home half, the Patriots began their rally with a double from Berecochea and a single from Barney to put runners on the corners. Two straight fielder's choices got two outs, and the game would close out with a flyout to center field.
 
The Patriots totaled 11 hits in game two, getting a 3-for-3 effort from Berecochea and two each from Barney and Lerma. Lerma added in three RBI, and Barney had one.
 
UT Tyler will have one LSC doubleheader next week as they face off against UT Dallas. That doubleheader will be on the road beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 24^th.