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SEGUIN – The 19th-ranked University of Texas at Tyler baseball team won its second consecutive American Southwest Conference Championship and punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a hard-fought, 5-3 win over No. 8 Mississippi College on Sunday afternoon in 12 innings at Texas Lutheran's Katt-Isbel Field.

UT Tyler sophomore shortstop Aaron McCain was named the tournament's MVP, finishing the day 2-for-5 with three RBIs, including the go-ahead, two-RBI triple in the top of the 12th that broke a 3-3 tie and allowed the Patriots to earn the thrilling extra-inning victory. He was also one of seven Patriots to highlight the All-Tournament Team.

Head coach James Vilade's Patriots finished off a perfect ASC Tournament, winning all five games, including a first-round sweep over McMurry University, two games over ASC East rival Mississippi College and a meeting with Hardin-Simmons. In the five games, UT Tyler outscored its opponents by a 42-19 margin in improving to 35-10 overall on the year.

Justin Juneau's RBI-single in the top of the first gave UT Tyler the early 1-0 lead, scoring Corey Henderson from second after he reached on a leadoff single and was sacrificed over by Austin Newell.

Mississippi College (36-9) responded with single runs in both the second and third innings to take its first lead of the game at 2-1, getting an RBI-single from Brannon Walls and sac fly from Dakota Bodree.

The Patriots retook the lead at 3-2 with a pair of runs in the fourth, getting three consecutive base hits, including an RBI-double from McCain that tied the game and go-ahead RBI-single up the middle from Tyler Clakley.

The Choctaws would again knot the game with a run in their half of the fifth, putting together a two-out rally and drawing a bases-loaded walk off UT Tyler reliever Matt Schimpf – his only mistake of the day – that made it 3-3.

Both teams went scoreless through the ensuing six innings, despite having several chances on each side to plate the go-ahead run, as the game went into extras. UT Tyler stranded the bases loaded in the 11th, prior to leaving two runners on in the 10th, but finally broke through in the 12th.

After bringing in closer Logan Chitwood in the 11th, who set the Choctaws down in order, McCain's two-RBI triple into the rightfield corner with two down gave the Patriots the momentum and the go-ahead runs. Chris Glaze's error at second base on an easy force out eventually kept the inning alive for UT Tyler, and they took advantage.

Chitwood would then need just seven pitches in the bottom of the 12th, getting Bo Bell to fly out to Newell in left to end a nearly four-hour affair and give the Patriots their first back-to-back ASC Championships in school history.

UT Tyler will be shipped out to McMinnville, Ore., and the NCAA West Regional hosted by Linfield College, with the official NCAA announcement to come on Sunday, May 16 on www.ncaa.com.

-Courtesy University of Texas at Tyler Sports Information Department

All-Tournament Team

Aaron McCain, UT Tyler, SS (Most Valuable Player)
Bo Bell, MC, OF
Taylor Berlin, HSU, 1B
LoganChitwood, UT Tyler, P
Tyler Clakley, UT Tyler - At-Large
Daniel Cowart, MC, P
Regan Dixon, HSU, C
Chris Green, TLU, SS
Corey Henderson, UT Tyler, 2B
Chase Herrin, MC, OF
T.J. Martin, UT Tyler, 3B
Austin Newell, UT Tyler, OF
Matt Sparks, UT Tyler, P

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