ODESSA, Texas (April 12, 2025) – After recording just one run on seven hits and not scoring until the final inning in the first game of the series on Friday, The University of Texas Permian Basin baseball team scored 10 runs on 12 hits in a 10-4 win the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Oklahoma Christian University. The Falcons then nearly completed a four-run comeback to tie the game in the final inning of the next game before ultimately coming up just short, 5-4.
 
Game 1 (UTPB 10, OC 4):

• After an eight-pitch top of the first inning for Nolan LaChappa (4-3) ending with a 1-3-4 pickoff, UTPB started off the bottom of the first with a leadoff single through the left side by Kaleb Scull, a sacrifice bunt to third base by Jack Haggerty, and an RBI-double down the first base line by Carson Johnson to open the scoring. Brent Rigtrup followed with an RBI-single to right field to score Johnson and make it 2-0 Falcons after one inning.
• A nice flip by Johnson at second base started a 4-6-3 double play to make up for his dropped popout earlier in the second inning. N. LaChappa would follow the double play with a called strike three to end the inning.
• UTPB got a pair of two-out RBI-hits in the bottom of the second, the first an RBI-single by Scull just fair down the left field line and just out of the reach of the diving left fielder, and the second a two-run single through the right side by Haggerty to make it 5-0 Falcons.
• N. LaChappa faced just nine batters through three innings thanks to his second pickoff of the game, a 1-4 pickoff at second base to end the top of the third inning.
• With two outs and two runners in scoring position in the top of the fifth inning for OC, an RBI-single just over the first baseman's glove got the Eagles onto the scoreboard and was followed by a two-run triple to left center field to cut UTPB's lead to just two runs (5-3).
• Johnson helped the Falcons answer back with a four-run bottom of the fifth inning, smacking a one-out single up the middle and later scoring his second run of the game from second base on a one-out RBI-single to right field by Taylor McDaniel. An errant throw back into the infield on the single put two runners in scoring position with just one out for Dayton Osborn, and then an error by the OC pitcher, Chris Jones (4-3), throwing over to first after a groundball back to him allowed both Rigtrup and McDaniel to score. The two errors continued to haunt the Eagles as Jarren Lewis singled through the right side to score Osborn and make it 9-3 Falcons.
• UTPB had nine runs on nine hits through five innings.
• Haggerty stayed with it and made a nice catch falling backwards in left field for the first out of the sixth inning, and then Scull made a great diving stop and throw ranging to his right at shortstop for the second out.
• N. LaChappa finished with 6.1 innings pitched allowing nine hits, four runs, one walk and four strikeouts while relief pitcher Taven Hathaway was able to get the final two outs in the seventh inning to close out the game.
• Scull finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored from the top spot in the lineup while each of the next four batters in the lineup had two hits.
• McDaniel was able to record a pair of RBI-singles.

 
Game 2 (UTPB 4, OC 5):

• Three straight one-out singles led to the first run of the game for OC in the top of the first, and then a walk and another single made it five straight batters reaching base against Timmy LaChappa (2-5) before a sacrifice fly to right field made it a three-run first inning overall.
• After a leadoff single to right field and a walk to put two runners on base with nobody out, an RBI-groundout and a two-out RBI-triple to deep right field made it 5-0 in the top of the second inning.
• T. LaChappa bounced back with three straight strikeouts in a 1-2-3 top of the third inning, and then Wiki DeLeon got the Falcons on the board with a one-out solo home run to right field in the bottom half.
• T. LaChappa followed that up with another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, threw a third straight scoreless inning in the fifth, and then struck out the first two batters in a scoreless top of the sixth.
• After a groundout to shortstop to start off the top of the seventh inning, T. LaChappa's day came to an end with a total of 135 pitches. He finished with 6.1 innings pitched with seven hits allowed, five runs, three walks and six strikeouts.
• Needing two more outs to move the game to the bottom of the seventh and keep UTPB's deficit at four runs, Conner Clark got a flyout to left field for the second out, and then third baseman Makai DeSoto made a falling catch in foul territory behind third for the third out.
• In the bottom of the seventh, Rigtrup and McDaniel both drew a walk to put two runners on base and force the Eagles to go to the bullpen.
• It was a strong starting pitching performance for Tristan Copeland (1-3), who finished with six innings pitched allowing just three hits, three runs, two walks and nine strikeouts for OC.
• Against the new pitcher, Ira Clifton, Osborn fouled off a 3-2 pitch and then drew ball four to load the bases with nobody out for DeSoto.
• The three walks to load the bases were the only three walks of the game drawn by the Falcons.
• A wild pitch on the first pitch to DeSoto scored Rigtrup and moved the other two runners up.
• A good pitch in the dirt on a 2-2 count struck out DeSoto swinging, but then another pitch in the dirt to start Bode Stewart's at bat went for a wild pitch and allowed the pinch runner, Andrew Prado, to score and moved Osborn to third base.
• Stewart sent a short, slow roller toward second base, and was able to make it safely to first on a bad flip by the second baseman, scoring Osborn to make it just a one-run game (5-4).
• With the tying run now on base, DeLeon moved the pinch runner, Jose Salcedo, into scoring position with a groundout to first base.
• With two outs and the tying run on second base, UTPB turned over the lineup to its leadoff man in Scull, but a first-pitch groundout to shortstop ended the comeback attempt.
• Clifton was able to pick up his second save of the season for the Eagles.
• UTPB had just four hits in game two.

 
Team Records:

• UTPB's record moves to 14-26 overall and 14-25 in the Lone Star Conference while OC's moves to 10-31 and 9-30.

Next Up: The fourth and final game of the series between UTPB and Oklahoma Christian will start at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, from Odessa, Texas.