Box Score UT Permian Basin first baseman Kayla Martin continued her hard-hitting start to 2019 and UT Permian Basin played strong defense Saturday in the third and final game of its Lone Star Conference opening series against Texas A&M Commerce, but the Lions broke through with four runs in the fifth inning of a 7-0 defeat of UTPB on a sunny but blistery day at the UTPB Softball Field in Odessa.

Martin had a pair of singles in the series opener, and picked up her team-leading third double of the season to lead off the bottom of the fifth off of the center field wall.

The Falcons used defense early in the game to keep the contest scoreless. After Commerce loaded the bases with one out in the top of the second, pitcher Sloan Springfield got a pair of ground ball outs, the first a comebacker to her, the second to third, to get the force out at home each time to escape the inning tied at 0-0.

In the top of the third the first two batters reached base, and with both in scoring position after a stolen base, Springfield escaped trouble by getting a strikeout and ground ball to third to end the inning.

Texas A&M Commerce took the lead in the top of the fifth, scoring on a double to left field. Later with the bases loaded, the Lions took advantage of a pair of throwing errors after a single to go on top 4-0.

Commerce added a run in the sixth and a pair in the seventh in the 7-0 win. 

Valerie Gonzalez, Jessica Gonzales and Abby Hernandez each added hits for the Falcons in the third and final game of the weekend.

UTPB is back on the road this coming week, traveling Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader at University of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M.