LUBBOCK, Texas (February 7, 2025) – The University of Texas Permian Basin softball team entered the weekend undefeated, but unfortunately that all changed as the Falcons lost their first two games at the Lubbock College Sports Invitational. UTPB first fell 3-0 against the hosts from Lubbock Christian University and then came up short in an 11-8 affair against a new member of NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference, Sul Ross State University.
 
Game 1 (UTPB 0, Lubbock Christian 3):

• Keri Sanford (2-for-3) led off the game with a single and accounted for both of UTPB's hits in the game.
• Meghan Gattis (0-1) allowed six hits, three runs and one walk in four innings.
• Emery Aguilar kept the Chaparrals off the scoreboard in the fifth and sixth innings and was able to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam with back-to-back popouts in the fifth.
• LCU's Teoni Lamb pitched 6.2 innings allowing two hits and one walk to go along with 10 strikeouts. She recorded 16 straight outs after giving up a leadoff single in the top of the first.
• Baylea Myers hit a solo home run to left field with two outs in the bottom of the first inning.
• A ground-rule double with one out in the second inning and a two-out triple in the fourth inning both led to another run for the Chaps.
• UTPB threatened in the top of the sixth as a sacrifice bunt by Aguilar moved both Carlee Quintero and Sanford into scoring position, but a lineout caught by the right fielder in the right center field gap ended the inning.

 
Game 2 (UTPB 8, Sul Ross State 11):

• A leadoff walk followed by two wild pitches and an RBI-groundout to third base got the scoring started for SRSU in the top of the first inning. The Lobos would follow with back-to-back singles, and after a hit by pitch with two outs, left the bases loaded on another groundout to third.
• Walks by Sanford and Taylor Ramirez in the bottom of the first set the stage for a three-run home run to right center field by Kaylee Moses.
• SRSU batted around in the top of the second inning and put up an eight-spot. The Lobos started the inning with four straight singles, the last of which was a two-run single, and then got a two-run double to make it five straight hits to start the inning. They then closed the scoring in the inning with four straight two-out RBI-hits, including a triple to right center field on the last hit.
• Leading 9-3, SRSU came up with two more two-out RBI-singles to make it 11-3 in the third inning.
• Jessica Cantrell pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning, the first scoreless inning of the game for the Lobos.
• Then in the bottom of the fourth, UTPB got a one-out single to center by Quintero, and Head Coach AubreeAna Avila-Oropeza called for the sacrifice bunt by Mia Serrato. The call paid off as Sanford sent an RBI-single to left field and Aguilar tripled home a run with a hit down the left field line. An error at short allowed one more run to score as UTPB cut its deficit to three (11-8) after four innings.
• With a runner at third base with one out in the top of the fifth, the Falcons outsmarted the Lobos with a 2-1-6 caught stealing at second base as SRSU tried to draw the throw down to second base from the catcher and steal a run. Cantrell proceeded to record the swinging strikeout to stand the runner at third.
• Cantrell again went 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth, but in the top of the seventh, had to dig down deep to strand two runners in scoring position with just one out. Cantrell got a grounder back to her and tied up the lead runner between third base and home plate for out number two, and still with two runners in scoring position, got a lineout to second base to move the game into the bottom of the seventh. UTPB, however, went down 1-2-3 in its half of the seventh.
• UTPB held SRSU scoreless over the final four innings and scored the final five runs of the game, but it would not be enough.
• SRSU finished with 16 hits while UTPB had eight runs on eight hits.
• Aguilar was 3-for-3 with a triple.
• Moses was 2-for-4 with a home run and accounted for each of UTPB's first four RBI's in the game.
• UTPB's top three hitters in the lineup, Sanford, Aguilar and Ramirez, all scored two runs.
• Cantrell finished with 4.1 innings pitched allowing two hits, two walks and no runs while striking out four.
• Hannah Clark (1-0) pitched the final 6.2 innings for SRSU, allowing seven hits, five total runs, four earned runs and two walks.
• The SRSU pitching staff did not record a strikeout.

 
Team Records:

• UTPB falls to 4-2 on the season.
• LCU is now 7-1 with two shutout wins on the day.
• SRSU improves to 3-4 after also winning twice on the day, including a 7-3 win over Adams State University. It was the first meeting between the Falcons and the Lobos since 2019.

 
Next Up: The Falcons will return to the Lubbock Sports College Invitational on Saturday, February 8, to play Adams State University (12 p.m.) and Chadron State College (6 p.m.).