Clarksville, Ark.-UT-Tyler took a pair from Ozarks in American Southwest Conference baseball action on Saturday afternoon at Lonnie R. Qualls Field.
In game one, the Eagles (17-14, 6-9) held a 5-2 lead after five innings of play, but the Patriots (22-7, 10-6) would put four runs on the board in the fifth and two runs in the seventh to gain a 8-6 win. Ozarks jumped out to a 3-0 advantage at the end of the first inning. Justin Brown was hit by a pitch. Anthony Brandon singled through the left side of the infield to reach first base and advance Brown to second. Robby Finnell walked to load the bases. Brian Heckmann then doubled in all three runs to give Ozarks the game’s momentum and a 3-0 cushion. The Eagles had additional offensive production in the bottom of the second when Caleb Hilton hit a two-run homer. UT-Tyler, however, took the momentum back after holding the Eagles scoreless over the next three innings. The Patriots eventually turned the game in their favor when they scored four runs in the top of the sixth. With a 6-5 lead, the Patriots scored twice more to seal the win. Brett Hays went 3-for-4 to lead Ozarks. Heckmann had a game-high four RBI. Kyle Hudson (0-1), who came in relief, received the loss. Hilton’s homer was his seventh of the season. The Patriots flexed their muscles in the day’s second game, hitting six home runs and collecting 21 hits while handing Ozarks a 15-3 loss. The Patriots held a 4-1 lead after three innings of play, but exploded for seven runs in the fourth, highlighted by the visitors hitting three home runs. Ozarks got one run in the first when Todd Koch singled in Brown. The Eagles scored in the sixth when Anthony Brandon crossed the plate and in the seventh when Koch again recorded an RBI single. Ozarks had 11 hits. Brown, Hays, Brandon, Koch and Finnell had two hits apiece. Curt Dixon (4-3) received the loss. The Eagles venture into non-conference play on Tuesday when they travel to Conway to face Hendrix College.
Topics: Athletics