ODESSA, Texas (March 9, 2025) – After scoring 14 runs on 14 hits to win game three of the series on Saturday, The University of Texas Permian Basin baseball team continued to swing the bats well en route to a 16-8 win over Eastern New Mexico University in their series finale on Sunday at Roden Field.

UTPB (5-19 overall, 5-19 Lone Star Conference) tied its season-high in runs and set new season-highs in hits (19) and doubles (8). The Falcons also had 14 runs batted in for the second game in a row.

In four of their five wins this season, the Falcons have scored at least 14 runs. The other win was a come-from-behind win on a walk-off two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning by Carson Johnson for UTPB's first win of the season.

Today's game saw a leadoff double down the right field line and a two-out double to left center field to bring in the first run of the game for ENMU (12-10, 10-10) in the top of the first inning. Starting pitcher Damian Robles responded with a 1-2-3 top of the second inning and came from down 2-0 to get a swing and a miss on a full-count pitch for the third out of the inning and his first strikeout of the game.

After hitting a walk-off double the day before, Brent Rigtrup led off the bottom of the second inning for the Falcons with a standup double to left center field, his third double in two games, but certainly not his last. Dayton Osborn battled to a 2-2 count before sending a single through the left side, and then Jose Salcedo took an 0-2 pitch and singled it past the first baseman to score Rigtrup, tie the game and move Osborn all the way to third base.

Then after an error by ENMU on a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Prado, Makai DeSoto sent the first pitch he saw over the wall in left center field for a grand slam to break the 1-1 tie. It was DeSoto's team-leading third home run of the season, was his second home run of the series, and was the Falcons' second grand slam in the last two series.

After scoring nine runs on seven hits in the fifth inning in the previous game, UTPB scored eight runs on eight hits in the second inning on Sunday. Each of the 10 first batters in the inning reached base, ending with back-to-back RBI-doubles down the third-base line by Johnson and then Rigtrup again, his second double of the inning.

ENMU got a hit by pitch and a two-run home run to left field in the top of the third inning, and then after back-to-back singles, loaded the bases with a one-out walk, but a big swinging strikeout by Robles was followed by a fielder's choice groundout.

Robles continued to battle, fighting back from down 3-0 to get a called strike three for the first out of the fourth inning, but then his day would come to an end after back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out. The new pitcher, Brock Robarts (2-1), allowed two runs to score on a hit by pitch and a fielder's choice groundout before getting a swinging strikeout to strand runners at the corners and preserve a three-run lead (8-5).

Osborn had to retreat to the warning track in center field to make the catch for the third out of the top of the fifth inning, stranding runners at the corners for the second inning in a row, and then he led off the bottom half of the fifth with a single to center field. With runners at the corners for UTPB, the No. 9-hitter, Bode Stewart, delivered an RBI-single to right field to score Osborn, and then Prado hustled from first to third and drew an errant throw by the right fielder that got past the third baseman and allowed him to score to make it 10-5 Falcons. After coming in to pitch with one out in the bottom of the second inning for ENMU, Julian Lopez had retired the first five UTPB batters he faced and tossed scoreless third and fourth innings before the Falcons were able to get to him in the fifth.

Scull followed Stewart's at bat by sending a 2-0 pitch off the wall in center field for an RBI-double scoring Stewart, and then Jack Haggerty greeted the new pitcher, Demitrius DiMatteo, by scoring Scull with a bloop-single to center field on his first pitch.

The Falcons had 12 runs on 14 hits through the first five innings, equaling their total number of hits from Saturday's single game.

The Falcons turned a 6-4-3 double play to end a scoreless top of the seventh inning, and then for his second at bat in a row in the bottom half, Scull smacked a double off the wall, this time to left center field and giving him a 4-for-5 start to the contest. Scull then just beat the throw home on a single through the right side by Johnson.

Rigtrup followed Johnson with his third double of the game, banging this one off the wall in left center field, and Johnson was able to score all the way from first base after a misplay by the Greyhounds' catcher after the relay throw, making the score 14-6.

After loading the bases with a walk in the top of the eighth inning, the new Falcons' pitcher, Thomas Geiger, finished his season debut by allowing just one more run to score as he got a 4-6-3 double play, the second double play turned by the Falcons in as many innings, and then got a popup to shortstop to leave a runner at third base.

In the bottom of the eighth, DeSoto nearly got his second home run of the game, hitting one just a foot down the wall in center field to bring in a run and put two runners in scoring position.

After a leadoff walk in the top of the ninth, Samuel Skipper got a swinging strikeout on a full count, and then Prado made a sliding catch in center field for out number two. Skipper then got a called strike three to end the weekend.

On Sunday, Scull would finish 4-for-6 with two doubles, Rigtrup was 3-for-5 with three doubles, Haggerty was 2-for-4 with two RBI-singles, Osborn was also 2-for-4, Johnson was 2-for-5 with two RBI-hits, DeSoto was 2-for-5 with five RBI's and the grand slam home run, and Prado led the team with three runs scored.

In all for the series, Osborn hit .625 (5-8); Scull hit .529 (9-17) with five runs scored and four doubles; Johnson hit .500 (8-16) with 11 RBI's, six runs scored, two doubles, a triple and an inside-the-park home run; Jarren Lewis also hit .500 (4-8) with four runs scored and three doubles; DeSoto hit .462 (6-13) with seven RBI's, two home runs, one grand slam and four runs scored; Haggerty also hit .462 (6-13) with six runs scored and four RBI's; and lasty, Rigtrup hit .400 (6-15) with five doubles, including a walk-off double on Saturday, and had four RBI's.

Next up, the Falcons will begin their fourth Lone Star Conference series on the road this season. The Falcons will battle Cameron University starting at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 14, from McCord Field in Lawton Oklahoma.