FORT SMITH, Ark. – The University of Texas of the Permian Basin baseball team continues its struggles as the Falcons dropped the first two games of the series to Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Lions won the first 21-3 before winning the nightcap 9-8 in 10 innings.
The Falcons were shell-shocked early in the first game as the Lions put up nine runs in the bottom of the first and scored at least one run in all but the fifth inning. UTPB finally got a run across in the top of the fifth when
Stephen Hrebicek grounded out to second base to score
Brantley Miller, who opened the inning with a double. The Falcons would put two more across in the sixth thanks to RBI singles by Miller and Hrebicek.
The Lions tallied 17 hits and took advantage of four UTPB errors, while the Falcons had nine hits with
Jeremy Miller and
Brantley Miller both picking up two hits each.
In the second game,
Jeremy Miller was a one-man wrecking crew as he went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored thanks to two home runs. UTPB fell behind 4-0 after the first three innings, but Miller's first homer was the two-run variety to cut the lead in half. Miller brought in
Austin Wooldridge, who hit a one-out double to right.
UTPB kept the momentum going in the fifth when RBI by
Hugo Hernandez and
Chandler Goode tied the game at four.
Garrett Wolff led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch before he was moved to second on a single by
Michael Rice. They would both later move up on a fielder's choice by
Ryne Head. Hernandez grounded out to short, but was deep enough to score Rice from third. A single by Goode to score Head.
The momentum would not last long as the Lions put two more across in the bottom of the fifth thanks to two hits and an error by the Falcons – one of the three on the game.
UTPB finally took its first lead of the game in the sixth when Rice and Goode came through once again with a single and a walk.
The see-saw battle continued in the bottom of the seventh when the Lions took an 8-7 lead with two more runs on a two-run single by Jordan May.
Jeremy Miller would eventually tie the game in the top of the ninth with a one-out homer to send the game into extra innings. The Falcons had a chance to take the lead once again in the top of the 10
th when
Andy Quiring singled to right to send
Ryan Giacomini, who reached on a one-out walk, to second. Both would later move up on a passed ball, putting runners on second and third with one out, but a ground out and fly out ended the threat for the Falcons.
In the bottom of the 10th, Clay Washington led off with a triple before Ben Kozoma ended the game with a walk-off single to center.
The two teams will play third game of the series tomorrow at 1 p.m. The Falcons moved to 6-13 on the year, while the Lions improved to 9-7.
