Kingsville - Texas A&M-Kingsville dropped its first series of the season to UT-Tyler after falling 1-3 Sunday from Nolan Ryan Field.
The Javelinas (8-6, 8-6 LSC) maintained a one-run advantage for a majority of the contest, however a three-run inning by the Patriots (12-2, 12-2 LSC) put the Javelinas in a hole that they could not climb out of as they dropped their first four-game series of the year 1-3.Â
James Placke was named the starter for the Javelinas for game four's action. The junior from Midland, Texas, tossed six complete innings of work and allowed no runs through those first 18 outs. Placke struck out a pair of batters and kept the Patriots in check for a majority of the contest. The levee would eventually break in the seventh however as a solo-home run knotted the game up at one run apiece.Â
Texas A&M-Kingsville struck first in this contest in the bottom of the third as
Joshua Endo would bring home
Nick Reyes with a fielder's choice that led to a fielding error by the Patriot first baseman. They would not be able to get more in that inning however, but the defensive effort kept the Patriots off the board.
UT-Tyler took firm control of the game in the seventh, as in addition to the solo-home run the Patriots plated two runs with a pair of RBI singles to go up by two.
Ethan Ortega would get called onto the mound to get out of the inning and would notch a pair of strikeouts to get the Javelinas out of the seventh.
Sawyer Smith would get called up from there to keep the score within striking distance for the Javelinas. Smith would finish his appearance with a pair of strikeouts while surrendering three hits, but no runs would come across as the Javelinas headed into the bottom of the ninth down two.
Landon Salinas kicked off the bottom of the ninth with a lead-off double down the left field line, but he would not be brought across the home plate as the next three batters would all be returned to the dugout as the Javelinas dropped game four.
The Javelinas hit the road next week for a four-game series against Sul Ross State. Fans of the Javelinas can watch the game on FloCollege or follow the action at JavelinaBSB on X.
