Despite winning the game against them on Friday, St. Edward’s baseball fell short on Saturday with a 5-2 loss against the No. 5 ranked University of Texas (UT) at Tyler Patriots. With a slow start and a strong fifth inning for the Hilltoppers giving them hope, unfortunately they were unable to recover the win. After a 10-conference game winning streak and climbing to No. 15 in NCAA Division II polls, this is the second game the Hilltoppers drop against the Patriots.

UT Tyler stepped up to the bat first securing two runs in the opening inning with one player left on base. With Jakub Rayfield pitching, UT Tyler had one on second and one on first, and the batter hit out to left field and the Patriots took third base.

The Hilltoppers struggled to gain momentum in the beginning managing just three hits through the first four innings. However, they found their rhythm in the fifth.

“In baseball, sometimes the game just doesn’t go your way,” said head coach Ryan Femath. “So we’re just gonna have to bounce back and see if we can get a split in the series. We have a really close team — it’s a little bit older, they set high expectations for themselves and it’s a group that really wants to do something special.”

With two runners on, third baseman Trevor Sebek carried out two RBI (runs batted in) to put St. Edward’s on the board in the fifth inning. St. Edward’s was down 5-0 before scoring two runs, narrowing UT Tyler’s lead to three, making the game closer, but the Hilltoppers were still trailing behind.

“We figure out what pitches the pitcher comes with and see what’s in the strike zone and they do a good job of making you hit their pitch,” said Femath. “For us it’s making adjustments and situationally executing when we have those opportunities.”

Despite keeping UT Tyler off the scoreboard in the final two innings, St. Edward’s was unable to make a comeback. The Hilltoppers did have an opportunity in the sixth inning when Carlo Figueroa led off with a single, but the rally was cut short as the Patriots bullpen shut them down.

UT Tyler is ranked second in the Lone Star Conference (LSC), giving the Hilltoppers a good first real test to gauge their strength as a team — as the two previous series were played against Cameron University and UT Permian Basin, ranked 11th and 12th in the LSC.

This loss, followed by an 18-7 game for the Patriots on Sunday, brings St. Edward’s LSC record to 14-6 and third in the rankings. The Hilltoppers will be back on the field playing a series against Sul Ross State University next weekend.

Despite winning the game against them on Friday, St. Edward’s baseball fell short on Saturday with a 5-2 loss against the No. 5 ranked University of Texas (UT) at Tyler Patriots. With a slow start and a strong fifth inning for the Hilltoppers giving them hope, unfortunately they were unable to recover the win. After a 10-conference game winning streak and climbing to No. 15 in NCAA Division II polls, this is the second game the Hilltoppers drop against the Patriots.

UT Tyler stepped up to the bat first securing two runs in the opening inning with one player left on base. With Jakub Rayfield pitching, UT Tyler had one on second and one on first, and the batter hit out to left field and the Patriots took third base.

The Hilltoppers struggled to gain momentum in the beginning managing just three hits through the first four innings. However, they found their rhythm in the fifth.

“In baseball, sometimes the game just doesn’t go your way,” said head coach Ryan Femath. “So we’re just gonna have to bounce back and see if we can get a split in the series. We have a really close team — it’s a little bit older, they set high expectations for themselves and it’s a group that really wants to do something special.”

With two runners on, third baseman Trevor Sebek carried out two RBI (runs batted in) to put St. Edward’s on the board in the fifth inning. St. Edward’s was down 5-0 before scoring two runs, narrowing UT Tyler’s lead to three, making the game closer, but the Hilltoppers were still trailing behind.

“We figure out what pitches the pitcher comes with and see what’s in the strike zone and they do a good job of making you hit their pitch,” said Femath. “For us it’s making adjustments and situationally executing when we have those opportunities.”

Despite keeping UT Tyler off the scoreboard in the final two innings, St. Edward’s was unable to make a comeback. The Hilltoppers did have an opportunity in the sixth inning when Carlo Figueroa led off with a single, but the rally was cut short as the Patriots bullpen shut them down.

UT Tyler is ranked second in the Lone Star Conference (LSC), giving the Hilltoppers a good first real test to gauge their strength as a team — as the two previous series were played against Cameron University and UT Permian Basin, ranked 11th and 12th in the LSC.

This loss, followed by an 18-7 game for the Patriots on Sunday, brings St. Edward’s LSC record to 14-6 and third in the rankings. The Hilltoppers will be back on the field playing a series against Sul Ross State University next weekend.