Clarksville, Ark. - #4 Texas-Tyler got a pair of one-run wins over the #17 Eagles on Saturday afternoon to win an important American Southwest Conference East Division series.
In game one, the Patriots (21-4, 5-1) used a two-run second inning to steal away a 2-1 win. Neither team generated much offense as both starting pitchers gave up a combined 11 hits during the seven inning contest. Ozarks (19-5, 6-3) opened the first inning by scoring one run on a Robby Finnell sacrifice RBI. Texas-Tyler would record back-to-back RBI in the bottom of the second to put the score at 2-1, proving to be the final runs produced in the game. Ozarks’ starter Curt Dixon would allow just three hits following the second frame, while Texas-Tyler starter Brett Holland would give up only five. Dixon went six innings and struck out four. Dixon (4-1) suffered the loss. Holland (6-0) worked seven innings and struck out seven.
Cory Briggs and David Smith each went 2-for-3.
The Patriots took advantage of a pair of Ozarks’ errors in the bottom of the eighth to muster a 7-6 win in game two. With Ozarks leading 6-5 following a two-run homer by Finnell in the top of the eighth, the Patriots scored twice on just one hit in the bottom half of the inning.
The game was tied 1-1 after five and one-half innings, but Texas-Tyler scored twice off of two hits and two errors in the bottom of the sixth to give them a 3-1 lead. Ozarks pulled ahead 4-3 in the top of the seventh after Brad Broussard doubled in Finnell and Briggs. Chris Sexton later was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in another run. The Patriots took back the lead in the bottom half of the seventh with a Clay Baker two-run homer.
Briggs went 2-for-5. Finnell and Broussard each had two RBI. Finnell now has six homers.
John Scheuring (0-1) took the loss. Ozarks’ starter Bruce Cameron went six innings and struck out two.
The Eagles will travel to Conway to face Hendrix College on March 25.
Topics: Athletics