Solid pitching from juniors Cody Whitley, in game one and Justin Jenkins, in game two was complimented by enough offensive support as well as exceptional defense play as the LeTourneau University baseball team swept a doubleheader from University of Texas-Tyler, 3-0 and 4-1 on Saturday. Coupled with Friday night's 12-1 win, the YellowJackets sweep the area rival for the first time in program history.
LeTourneau (22-9, 16-8 ASC) found its groove in starting pitcher in Cody Whitley in game one. The left hander threw under 60 pitches and retired the first 12 batters he faced en route to a complete game win.
The YellowJackets scored two unearned runs in the third with two outs for an early 2-0 lead and they added an insurance run in the fifth to complete the shutout win. In the third, Chuck Daugherty reached on a fielding error, he moved to second on a Caleb Pritchett sacrifice bunt. Then, he moved to third on a ground out by Bryce Griffin; with two out, Daugherty scored on a bloop single by Kyle Jacobs. The YellowJackets added to its lead when Jacobs scored on a single by Garrett Methvin, who was retired at second in an attempt to stretch it to a double.
LeTourneau added to its lead when Jacobs executed a suicide squeeze scoring Caleb Pritchett in the fifth inning. Earlier in the inning, Pritchett had walked and stole second with one out; then, he moved to third on a wild pitch. After Griffin walked to put runners on the corners, the LeTourneau coaching staff called on the freshman to lay down the squeeze bunt. The freshman delivered with his second RBI of the contest as the play caught the Patriots off guard.
The three runs proved to be ample support for Whitley, who gave up just three hits for the shutout. Texas-Tyler never had a runner move past first base in the loss. With the win, Whitley improves to 5-1 on the season.
The YellowJackets will take a three-game winning streak on the road as they will face Sul Ross State in Alpine. The series will start on Thursday, April 17 at 7 p.m. at Kokernot Field; followed by a doubleheader on Friday, April 18 at 1 p.m.