UT Tyler’s Jacey Henry delivers a pitch against Lubbock Christian Saturday Suddenlink Field.

No. 1 UT Tyler won two games against No. 16 Lubbock Christian on Saturday at Suddenlink Field to win the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.

Lubbock Christian defeated UT Tyler 5-1 on Friday, and the Patriots had to defeat Angelo State, 2-0, on Friday night just to get to Saturday.

Then on Saturday, UT Tyler won the opening game of the day 3-1 to force the final game. The Patriots scored nine runs in their final three trips to the plate to take a 9-2 win and keep their season alive.

“I’m just really proud,” UT Tyler head softball coach Mike Reed said. “We knew we had a big feat in front of us with a really good Lubbock Christian team. We just talked about not worrying about all of the things that had to be done and just staying focused in the moment for each other.”

The final game was scoreless through three innings before a two-out double by Skylar Herrera scored Brooke Makemson to give Lubbock Christian a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning.

The lead didn’t last long as UT Tyler responded in the bottom of the fourth. Goff had an RBI double to score Grace Davis to tie the game. Bayli Simon reached on a fielder’s choice, and Morgan McAlexander came home for the go-ahead run. Avery Farr followed with a two-run double to give the Patriots a 4-1 lead.

In the fifth, Goff had an RBI single to make it 5-1.

Lubbock Christian got one run in the sixth inning with an RBI from Kasey Flores. UT Tyler came right back with four more runs. Courtney Plocheck had a two-run double. Ashley Perez had an RBI single, and Perez scored on a wild pitch.

Jacey Henry started the game, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 5.1 innings. Goff came in to close it out, allowing no runs on no hits with two strikeouts and no walks in 1.2 innings.

Saturday was only Henry’s fifth appearance of the season as she moved to 3-0.

“Anytime you get to go out there in the circle, it’s amazing,” Henry said. “I told Coach Reed at the beginning of this year, I want to be whatever you need me to be. Whatever you want my role to be, I want to be the best at it, so I have 100 percent faith in him and his decision. With my team behind me, I knew we were going to win that game.”

Plocheck and Goff each had three hits and two RBIs in the last game. Perez and Sam Schott both had two hits.

Makemson and Herrera led Lubbock Christian (39-12) with two hits each.

Taylor Franco took the loss, allowing nine runs — six earned — on 12 hits with six strikeouts and one walk in 5.2 innings.

“Our girls need to realize they had a really good year,” said Lubbock Christian head coach Daren Hays, who is the son of Colorado Christian head coach Larry Hays, whose team was also in the regional. “They’re real disappointed in today. We all are. But you’ve got to play well to beat those guys. We didn’t do that today.”

In the first game on Saturday, Lubbock Christian took a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a sacrifice fly by Makemson scored Savannah Wysocki.

In the bottom of the third, Ashley Perez was hit with the bases loaded to tie the game. Goff then had a two-run single to give the Patriots a 3-1 lead.

Goff did the rest in the circle for the Patriots. The Former Rusk High School standout allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout and no walks in seven innings.

Maxine Valdez took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits with one strikeout and two walks in six innings.

Wysocki had a double for Lubbock Christian, and Herrera added a double.

Audrey Escamilla led UT Tyler with two hits. Shannon Klaus, Goff, Simon and Amanda Marek (double) all added a hit.

UT Tyler (45-6) will take on No. 2 Texas A&M-Kingsville in the Super Regional Thursday and Saturday at UT Tyler’s Suddenlink Field.

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