Box Score Facing a regular season finale that UT Permian Baseball knew it needed to win to have any chance at postseason play, the Falcons scored five runs in the third inning and seven straight runs overall to defeat Eastern New Mexico 10-5 and clinch the #6 seed in next weekend's Lone Star Conference Championships hosted by West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas. UTPB will face #3 Texas A&M Kingsville at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 10th.

The Falcons got on the scoreboard first in the game, taking a 1-0 lead when Mitchell Hazlett scored on a ground out by Skyler Palermo for an early 1-0 lead. 

The Greyhounds tied the game in the bottom of the second when Julian Heredia left the yard to even the game at 1-1.

The Falcons offense had its breakthrough in the top of the third, scoring its first in the frame on a Dalton Drury single down the line to right that scored Hazlett. Cooper Coe later walked with the bases loaded to drive in Mike Fernandez for a 3-1 lead. A wild pitch advanced everyone on base, scoring Palermo, and an Andrew Donovan single through the right side of the infield drove home Drury. The Falcons increased their lead to 6-1 when Donovan stole second and Coe stole home on the throw.

Fernandez went deep in the top of the fourth, his third home run of the season, to increase the Falcon lead to 7-1, and an Alex Wixson double later in the frame scored Palermo for an 8-1 lead.

UTPB added runs in the fifth and sixth innings, a sac fly foul out by Tylor Frailey that scored Donovan in the fifth and a double by Drury to bring home Fernandez in the sixth.

Alex Rivera picked up his third win of the season on the hill for the Falcons, allowing three earned runs off of eight hits and five walks while striking out five on the afternoon. Matt Williams tossed 1.2 scoreless innings and Matt Symczak struck out the side in the ninth to wrap up the victory.

Fernandez ended the game 3-4 at the plate, scoring each time he reached base on the afternoon. Palermo and Hazlett added a pair of runs and Drury led the Falcons with two RBI.