CANYON, Texas (March 1, 2025) – After falling 8-6 in a tie ballgame entering the bottom of the sixth inning in game one, The University of Texas Permian Basin baseball team got its most dominant win of the season and first road win of the season with a 14-1 victory during game two of a doubleheader Saturday at No. 23 nationally-ranked West Texas A&M University. Jose Salcedo and Wiki DeLeon both hit 4-for-7 (.571) on the day with five RBI's apiece and a combined nine runs scored.
 
Game 1 (UTPB 6, WT 8):

• For the second game in a row against the Buffaloes, Kaleb Scull led off the game with an extra-base hit, this time though going yard with a solo home run to left center field.
• However, also for the second game in a row, UTPB gave up five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Yesterday the first five batters of the bottom of the first all got a hit, and today, each of the first six batters in the inning reached base as a leadoff walk was followed by an RBI-double down the left field line and then three straight singles, all before an RBI on a hit by pitch. In all, WT totaled two RBI-doubles in the first inning.
• UTPB proceeded to score two runs in the second inning and three runs in the third to take a 6-5 advantage. The second inning was highlighted by a two-out RBI-single to center field by Scull scoring Salcedo, who earlier in the inning had doubled to left center field to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. In the third inning, DeLeon came up with an RBI-double down the left field line to tie the game before Salcedo brought him home four pitches later on an RBI-single to right field.
• The Falcons' starting pitcher, Trevor Barth (0-5), settled down after the first inning to toss a 1-2-3 second inning and got around a two-out triple in the third inning with three groundouts.
• In the fourth inning, however, back-to-back two-out singles allowed the Buffs to tie the game (6-6), and that is where the score remained for another inning as a caught stealing thrown by catcher Brent Rigtrup, his 11th runner caught stealing of the season, ended the fifth inning.
• UTPB left two runners in scoring position in the top of the sixth after a two-out single by Scull and was followed by a double by Jack Haggerty.
• This missed opportunity in the top of the sixth came back to bite the Falcons as in the bottom of the sixth, a one-out double to left center field chased Barth, and then the new pitcher, Nolan LaChappa, was greeted with an RBI-double down the right field line to give the Buffs their second lead of the game.
• A sacrifice fly to center field would score the final run of the game for the Buffs in the sixth inning, and then after a leadoff walk by Rigtrup in the top of the seventh, three straight groundouts ended the contest.
• UTPB had 11 hits, led by Scull with a 3-for-4 effort. Haggerty, DeLeon and Salcedo were each 2-for-4 with a double.
• Barth finished with 5.1 innings pitched allowing 10 hits, seven total runs and six earned runs.
• After entering the game in the top of the third inning and limiting UTPB's damage offensively, Tai Phetluangsy (2-1) would pitch the rest of the way for WT and finished with 4.2 innings allowing three hits and no runs.
• "Good pitching, timely hitting and quality defense allowed us to stay in game one, we just have to find a way to finish close games," spoke Head Coach Justin Phillips.

 
Game 2 (UTPB 14, WT 1):

• In the first four innings, UTPB went down 1-2-3 in each inning while WT had one baserunner in each of its half innings.
• In the top of the fifth, however, a leadoff single to center field by Rigtrup, the first baserunner of the game for the Falcons, started a string of four straights hits. Rigtrup's single was followed by a single up the middle by Taylor McDaniel and a bunt single by DeLeon, both hits coming on the first pitch to load the bases with nobody out. After a strong performance in game one on Saturday, Salcedo came up clutch in game two with a first-pitch double to left center field, scoring all three runners for the first runs of the game. Three batters later, Scull came up with a two-out double again to left center field to score Salcedo and make it 4-0.
• Carson Johnson started off the top of the sixth inning with a solo homer to left center, giving UTPB a home run in all three games of the series so far, but not the last of the game. After a hit by pitch by McDaniel and a walk by DeLeon, Salcedo would continue his big day with a two-run double down the left field line before later scoring on an RBI-groundout to shortstop by Makai DeSoto, making it an 8-1 Falcons' lead after five and a half innings.
• In the seventh, UTPB got to a double-digit lead as Johnson was hit by a pitch and was followed by back-to-back singles by Rigtrup and Ethan Ralph to load the bases with one out. Then on the first pitch, DeLeon smashed a grand slam to right center field. It was the first collegiate hit for Ralph and was the first collegiate home run for DeLeon. Salcedo was then hit by a pitch as well and DeSoto followed with a single before both runners later scored on a pair of wild pitches to round out the scoring for the game.
• The freshman duo of Salcedo and DeLeon were both 2-for-3 with four RBI's and three runs scored during the game. Both of Salcedo's hits were a double, giving him three doubles on the day to pair with DeLeon's grand slam, the second grand slam of the series between UTPB and WT.
• After giving up a run on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the fifth, another freshman, pitcher Timmy LaChappa (1-4), got three straight outs to work around a pair of singles to start off the bottom of the sixth, and then worked around a one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh.
• T. LaChappa finished with a complete-game victory allowing five hits, one run, three walks and four strikeouts in seven innings. It was the second complete game and was the first-career win for T. LaChappa, and was the first complete-game victory of the season for the UTPB pitching staff.
• In addition, it was the second-most runs and second-most hits (13) in a game this season for the UTPB offense, and was its second game this season without a fielding error for the defense.
• "Timmy pitched extremely well and gave us a chance to win the game from the first pitch to the last pitch," said Phillips. "Our offense executed every inning we scored runs and we were routine defensively, giving us a chance to get through innings efficiently."

 
Team Records:

• With the win, UTPB (3-14 overall, 3-14 Lone Star Conference) snaps a nine-game losing streak and earns its second win in program history on the road at WT. In addition, it was the fourth win all-time and third win in the last three seasons for the Falcons over the Buffs.
• WT moves to 12-5 overall and 10-5 in the LSC, and suffers its first home loss of the season (7-1).

 
Next Up: The fourth and final game of the series between UTPB and West Texas A&M will start at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, as the Falcons try to tie the series and beat WT for the second time in a season for the first time in program history.

Coach Phillips concluded, "They are a well-coached and nationally-ranked team that we have to have to show up the same way tomorrow expecting to compete and find a way to get it done."