The University of Texas of the Permian Basin baseball team nearly solidified at least the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Heartland Conference Tournament by taking a pair of games from Newman. The Falcons won the first 4-1 before taking a 6-5 10th inning walk-off win in the second.
Coming into the series, UTPB was a half game ahead of the Jets for the fourth and final spot in the league standings. The games with the Falcons are the last conference contests for Newman, while the Falcons still host Panhandle State in two weeks for a three-game series.
Hugo Hernandez not only went 5-for-8 with three runs batted in, but also had the walk-off hit down the third base line, driving in
Garrett Wolff for the game winner. Not only did UTPB get timely hitting from Hernandez and a handful of others, it also had strong pitching performances by both the starters and the bullpen.
In the first game, Newman took an early 1-0 lead, taking advantage of a fielding miscue by UTPB. Corey Cowan reached on an infield error to start the game and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by David Longmore. With one out in the inning, Ryan Engrav singled to right to plate Cowan for a 1-0 advantage. It was the only run starter
Felix Cardenas or
Dylan Giesler would give up the rest of the game.
Cardenas pitched five innings, gave up four hits an unearned run while striking out five as he improved to 4-5 on the year. Giesler was perfect in his two innings of relief as he didn't allow a hit or a walk and struck out three.
The Falcons returned the favor in the bottom of the frame as
Chandler Goode led off with a walk before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Andy Quiring. Goode would later steal third before scoring on an error by Newman catcher Scot Palmer. UTPB put two more on the board in the second thanks to three hits, including an RBI single by Goode.
Hernandez would make it 4-1 in the fourth when his double to left scored
Brantley Miller, who reached on a one out single through the right side. The three-run advantage was more than enough for Cardenas and Giesler, who picked up his first save of the season.
In the second game, the Falcons started off with a bang as Goode led off with a homer down the left line to give them an early lead. Quiring followed with a walk and would later move to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Jeremy Miller before Wolff singled him in, making it 2-0. The Falcons were aggressive on the bases the entire day as they stole six bases, including one by Wolff to put him in scoring position.
Austin Wooldridge made it 3-0 with an RBI single through the left side.
The Jets would cut into the lead in the third with a pair of runs before tying the contest at three with a lone run in the fourth. The game would go back-and-forth as UTPB took the lead once again in the bottom of the fourth when a single up the middle by Goode scored Wooldridge, who led off the inning with a hit.
UTPB starter
Connor Lewis was clinging to a 5-4 lead until the Jets picked up two runs off four hits, giving them a 5-4 lead.
Down to their final at-bat, the Falcons came through as Goode led off the ninth with a walk and would later move to second on a sacrifice by Quiring. A single through the left side by
Jeremy Miller was enough to score Goode from second and tying the game at five to eventually send the game into extra innings.
In the bottom of the 10
th, Wolff was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and would move to second on a sacrifice bunt. An intentional walk to
Brantley Miller and a walk to pinch hitter
Michael Rice loaded the bases for Hernandez, who ended the game on his chopper down the line with no outs.
The sweep moved the Falcons to 18-23 on the year and 13-13 in Heartland Conference play, while Newman fell to 21-22 and 12-17 in league games. The teams will play the third and final game tomorrow at noon on Roden Field.
