Tuesday, March 28, 2017
by Wes Bloomquist || wbloomquist@uttyler.edu

JACKSON, Miss. – UT Tyler pitcher Miles Thomas was near flawless in his second start of the season and Graham Welch hit a two-run home run in the fifth to give the Patriots a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 6-3 non-conference win over Millsaps on Tuesday at Twenty Field.

The No. 4-ranked Patriots (22-4) have now won four straight coming into Alumni Weekend where they will host Hardin-Simmons starting at 6 p.m. on Friday before a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday at Irwin Field. UT Tyler is now 10-2 away from home and 3-1 in Mississippi where it opened the season with three games.

Thomas (1-0) earned his first win as a Patriot on Tuesday after limiting the Majors to two hits and one run in five innings, while Reese Read recorded his sixth save of the year after striking out one and getting two ground outs in the ninth. Thomas, who was making his second start and 10th appearance, left the game after the fifth with a 3-1 after Welch hit his home run and he recorded a 1-2-3 inning with three grounders.

UT Tyler finished the game with 10 hits with Welch, Daniel Williams, Gunnar Quick and Ben Romines having two hits each and Trenton Buchhorn blasting a solo home run to lead off the ninth inning. Buchhorn, who now has three home runs this season, also hit a sacrifice fly in the third inning for the first run of the game. A senior from Arlington, Buchhorn drove in two runs in the game and has 28 this season and 88 in his career. Quick went 2-for-4 to extend a seven-game hitting streak and scored in the seventh after a single that was followed by Romines hitting an RBI single. Josh Burns followed with a sacrifice fly and UT Tyler led 5-2 after seven.

Turner Givens would give the Patriots two innings of relief where he had two strikeouts and allowed only one run. Max Page, Chad Hayes, Sam Sitton and Evan Kissinger would also throw for the Patriots in the midweek game before Read closed it out in the ninth.

UT Tyler will host the Majors next Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Irwin Field following its ASC series against HSU. 

RANKINGS: @uttylerbaseball (21-4) is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the @CBNewspaper/ American Baseball Coaches Association Baseball Poll. pic.twitter.com/eiiBMCrp9w

— UT Tyler Patriots (@uttylerpatriots) March 28, 2017