SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – UT Tyler baseball took a major step toward securing the Lone Star Conference regular season championship on Friday night, defeating St. Mary's 4–0 in game one of the series. Behind a dominant performance on the mound and timely offense, the Patriots improved to 38–9 overall and now need just one more win to clinch the conference title.
The Patriots set the tone early despite not recording a hit in the opening frame, drawing three walks to apply immediate pressure. While they were unable to capitalize in the first, UT Tyler broke through in the second inning. Luke Smith led off with a single before Connor Clark followed with a base hit to put two runners on. With two outs, Brock Bearden reached on a St. Mary's fielding error, allowing Smith to score from second and give the Patriots a 1–0 lead.
UT Tyler continued to threaten in the third as Kaston Mason ripped a double down the right field line, but the Rattlers escaped further damage. The Patriots broke things open in the fourth inning when Spencer Simpson worked a leadoff walk and advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Bryce Jewell. Two batters later, Bearden delivered the biggest swing of the night, crushing a two-run home run to deep left field to extend the lead to 3–0.
The Patriots added an insurance run in the fifth inning. Mason reached base and advanced on a passed ball before Smith came through again, lining an RBI double into left field to plate Mason and make it 4–0. From there, UT Tyler's offense continued to put together competitive at-bats, drawing six walks and forcing St. Mary's pitching to work throughout the night.
That offensive support was more than enough for starting pitcher Caden Copeland, who delivered a dominant outing. The left-hander was in complete control, scattering seven hits across 7.2 innings while striking out six and not issuing a walk. Copeland consistently worked out of any trouble, stranding runners in multiple innings and keeping the Rattlers off the scoreboard.
St. Mary's mounted its best threat in the eighth inning, putting two runners on with two outs. UT Tyler turned to Coleson Abel out of the bullpen, and the left-hander came through in a key moment, recording a strikeout to end the inning and preserve the shutout.
Abel remained on the mound in the ninth and worked around a pair of baserunners, striking out two in the inning, including the final batter of the game, to secure his first save of the season and complete the combined shutout.
UT Tyler finished the game with seven hits, led by Smith's two-hit, one-RBI performance. Bearden's home run accounted for two RBIs, while Mason added a double and scored a run. Defensively, the Patriots played a clean game behind their pitching staff, helping secure their fifth shutout of the season.
The Patriots will look to carry that momentum into the remainder of the series as they aim to close out the regular season title. With three games remaining against the Rattlers, UT Tyler needs just one more victory to officially clinch the Lone Star Conference regular season title.
