PEARL, Miss. – Freshman Aman Patel earned his first collegiate win in dominating fashion at Trustman Park Saturday.

LETU improved to 3-7 overall, including 1-5 in American Southwest Conference play, with the 7-4 victory in the series finale, while Belhaven dropped to 2-4, 2-1.

Patel fanned a baker's dozen in eight-plus innings of work, allowing one run on two hits and not issuing a base-on-balls. After allowing a two-out single in the first, the Missiouri, Texas, native retired 19 in succession.

In the eighth, Patel faced his lone jam of the contest, getting a man into scoring position for the first time in the nightcap. An errant throw by Patel on a swinging bunt advanced the first batter to advance to second. After a single put runners on the corners with no outs, Patel dug deep and sat down the next three – two by strike out.

LETU busted things open at 7-0, with four in the ninth, allowing the rookie to go back out to the bump. After a long top half of the inning, Patel didn't quite have the command and hit
the lead-off man in the ninth and was relieved by Kyle Maysonave. 

Ethan Wood opened the scoring with a RBI groundout, plating Anthony Ybarra, who led off the third with a base knock. Dane Jones gapped the center and right fielders and recording two RBIs when Wood and Cameron Pfafman crossed the dish in the eighth. A pair of walks and three base knocks nudged the margin out to 7-0 and needing just three outs.

After loading the bases without a hit in the ninth, Belhaven cut the deficit to three before Landry Suarez shut the door.

Jones paced the offense, going 3 for 5, with three runs-batted-in. Wood went 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI. Stanley, Cole Thompson, Weston McKinley, Ybarra and Devin Greaff recorded a knock each.

In the first game of the day, the Blazers built a 7-0 cushion, after five innings and won the series with a 7-1 triumph.

Leading 1-0, Belhaven converted on three wild pitches, an error, a hit batsman sandwiched around two hits to grab a 5-0 edge. Self-induced mistakes cost the YellowJackets another run in the next frame. A pair of two-out knocks tacked on another in the sixth.

In the guest seventh, Stanley doubled home Jaggar Vaughn, who reached on a miscue by the Blazers.

Pfafman and Dylan Cortes tallied knocks for the YellowJackets. Landon Stocks, Lane Holman and Brayden Ferrie tossed two inning each, allowing seven runs – six earned – on five hits, two free passes and striking out seven.

LETU concludes its seven-game road swing with a trip to Alpine, Texas. First pitch between the YellowJackets and Sul Ross State is Friday, Feb. 25, at 6 p.m.