CONROE, Texas (Feb. 6) – No. 20-ranked Central Oklahoma dropped a pair of games on the second day of the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational Sunday at the Scrap Yard Sports Complex.

The Bronchos dropped a 9-8 extra-inning decision to St. Mary's in their opener before falling to top-ranked Texas-Tyler 17-4. UCO, now 2-2, ends the season-opening event Monday with a 1 p.m. contest against No. 16 Southern Arkansas.

"We didn't do a lot right today," head coach Cody White said. "We probably should have beaten St. Mary's and just didn't finish the job, but Tyler was too much for us. We have to put it behind us and try to finish on a good note tomorrow."

Central finished with 11 hits in the opener, getting two apiece from Shayleigh Odom, Amelya Huggins, Shayla Harper and Jacee Minter. The Rattlers ended with 14 hits.

St. Mary's broke on top 2-0 in the top of the second, with the Bronchos getting one back in their half of the inning on Odom's two-out RBI double to left-center field.

UCO used another two-out rally in the third to take a 4-2 lead.

Brighton Gilbert and Tarin Dubler came through with back-to-back singles to right field to set the stage for Minter, who smashed a long drive over the left field wall for her first homer of the season.

The Rattlers scored once in the top of the fourth and again Central answered, this time with a four-run volley – three of those coming with two outs.

Huggins led off with a double to right field and pinch-runner Korbyn Skipworth took third on a groundout before scoring on Mikayla Rutland's sacrifice bunt. Lexy Dobson kept the inning alive with a base hit, then  Harper ripped a two-run triple to right-center before Minter's RBI single up the middle made it 8-3.

The lead was short-lived, however, as St.  Mary's erupted for five runs in the top of the fifth to tie it.

It stayed deadlocked at 8-all until the top of the eighth when the Rattlers pushed across a run to take the lead. Rutland was placed on second in the international tiebreaker and moved to second on Dobson's sacrifice bunt, but back-to-back outs ended the threat.

UCO was no match for the powerful Patriots in the second contest, falling behind 9-0 after three innings and UT Tyler ended it after five innings.

Minter belted another homer, this one a two-run shot, and Harper had an RBI triple. The Bronchos managed just four hits.

The Patriots ended with 16 hits, including nine for extra bases.