TYLER, TEXAS – The #2 seed UT Tyler baseball program used a dominant six-run eighth inning and three home runs to defeat #6 seed MSU Denver 8-1 on Thursday night at Irwin Field, eliminating the Roadrunners from the South Central Regional and advancing further in postseason play.
With the win, UT Tyler and #3 seed Angelo State are the only two teams remaining in the Tyler regional bracket. The Patriots and Rams will now square off beginning Friday night at 7 p.m. at Irwin Field, with either team needing to beat the other twice in order to advance to the South Central Super Regional.
The opening innings featured a pitchers' duel as both teams were held scoreless through the first two frames. UT Tyler starter Caden Copeland worked around four hits in 3.2 scoreless innings, helping keep the Roadrunners off the board early.
The Patriots struck first in the bottom of the third inning when Connor Clark launched a solo home run to left-center field. The blast traveled 411 feet with an exit velocity of 102 mph to give UT Tyler a 1-0 advantage.
UT Tyler added another run in the fourth as Kaston Mason crushed a solo homer to center field. Mason's shot traveled 416 feet off the bat at 107 mph, extending the Patriot lead to 2-0.
MSU Denver finally broke through in the seventh inning after back-to-back singles put pressure on the Patriots. MSU Denver delivered an RBI fielder's choice to score the Roadrunners' lone run and trim the deficit to 2-1.
The Patriots threatened in the bottom half of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs, but MSU Denver escaped the inning to keep the game within one run entering the eighth.
UT Tyler responded with its biggest offensive inning of the night in the bottom of the eighth. Drew Schmidt opened the frame with a walk before Mason singled and Ryan Walker advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Spencer Simpson then delivered the decisive swing of the game, launching a grand slam to right field for his first career home run at Irwin Field to give the Patriots a 6-1 lead. The inning continued as Connor Clark walked and later scored on a wild pitch, while Tanner Hornback added a sacrifice fly to cap a six-run frame and extend the lead to 8-1.
Out of the bullpen, Tyler Puckett provided a strong relief appearance to earn the win after tossing 3.1 innings while allowing just one run. Coleson Abel closed the door over the final two innings, striking out three and allowing no hits to secure his fourth save of the season.
Offensively, the Patriots totaled eight hits on the night and drew seven walks. Clark, Mason and Simpson each homered, accounting for seven of UT Tyler's eight runs. Mason finished with two hits and an RBI, while Cole Ketzner added a pair of doubles. Simpson drove in four runs with the eighth-inning grand slam, and Clark reached base three times while scoring twice.
UT Tyler will now turn its attention to Angelo State as the two remaining teams in the South Central Regional battle for a trip to the Super Regional round beginning Friday night at 7 p.m. at Irwin Field.
