SAN ANTONIO, Texas (April 17, 2025) – Winners of six out of its last eight games coming in, The University of Texas Permian Basin baseball team opened up its final road series of the season with a 6-3 defeat at St. Mary's University on Thursday. Despite the loss, it was a very well-rounded and competitive game from the Falcons.

UTPB was coming off a 15-5 win over Oklahoma Christian University on Sunday in which it hit a season-high three home runs, but St. Mary's was somehow even better, blasting a season-high six home runs in its 14-4 win over Cameron University in their series finale on Sunday. However, with a stiff wind blowing in on Thursday in San Antonio, Texas, there would be no home runs, and a two-run double for StMU blasted through the wind and off the fence in right center field proved to be the difference.

It was just the second night game of the season for the Falcons, who drew first blood in the third inning when Bode Stewart led off with a double to left center field, moved to third on a bunt single down the third base line by Andrew Prado, and scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Kaleb Scull.

Making the second start of his career, Samuel Skipper struck out the first batter against him in three pitches. Then with runners at the corners with just one out after a double and a single, Skipper got another strikeout followed by a flyout to center field to strand the runners.

Skipper entered the contest without giving up an earned run in his last six appearances (5.0 innings), and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning with a flyout to right field.

It was the longest outing of the season for Skipper, who gave way to Damian Robles (1-5) with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, but Robles could not hold the advantage as a leadoff walk and a double to left center field put two runners into scoring position with no outs for the Rattlers. After an RBI-groundout to short to score the first run for StMU, back-to-back walks loaded the bases with one out, but a fielder's choice to third base and a flyout to right field made it eight Rattlers stranded on base through three innings.

In the fourth, however, a leadoff single up the middle was followed by a stolen base and back-to-back groundouts to second base to get the run in and give the Rattlers a 2-1 lead.

UTPB promptly tied the game back up in the top of the fifth inning as Prado reached on an error at third base, moved to second on a single through the left side by Scull and just beat the throw home to score from second base on an RBI-single through the right side by Jack Haggerty. A caught stealing at second base and a swing-and-a-miss on strike three, however, would leave the go-ahead run at third base for the Falcons.

A nice 1-6-3 double play started by Robles ended the bottom of the fifth inning with the score still knotted at two runs apiece.

However, StMU finally started to see success with two outs and runners in scoring position as Garrett Brooks drove a two-run double against the wind and off the fence in right center field, and one pitch later, an RBI-single also place to right center field made it 5-2.

Carson Johnson led off the top of the eighth inning for UTPB with a laser for a double to right center field, and he scored three batters later on a fielder's choice hit to shortstop by Dayton Osborn. On the play, StMU missed a chance to record an out at second base, but with two outs and two runners in scoring position, a swing-and-a-miss on a high heater got the Rattlers out of the inning.

StMU added an insurance run with a leadoff single through the left side and a two-out RBI-single on a rocket down the third base line in the bottom of the eighth.

After coming in as a relief pitcher with two outs in the fifth inning, StMU's Cameron Hodges (3-0) totaled 3.1 innings allowing just one hit, one run and one walk while striking out four Falcons.

StMU finished with 15 hits and left 12 runners on base. The Falcons totaled eight hits and left eight runners on base. In the end, however, the Rattlers finished with four two-out RBI's while their ample opportunities with runners in scoring position (5-for-19) made a big difference in the outcome.

Haggerty and Osborn both recorded two hits for UTPB while Johnson doubled and drew a walk. Seven of the nine batters in the Rattlers' lineup had two hits in the contest, led by Brooks, who finished 2-for-4 with three RBI's, two runs scored, a stolen base and a walk.

"I thought it was a really good game, one of the best games we have played this season," spoke Head Coach Justin Phillips. "We had a lot of freshmen step up and play well. I am really proud of our effort from the dugout, from our offense and from our defense. We were one pitch away from beating a really, really good club. I am looking forward to getting after it tomorrow."

Games two and three of the series at St. Mary's will be at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively, on Friday, April 18, from Dickson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas.