ALPINE, Texas (April 6, 2025) – After plating nine runs in the first inning of the series opener on Friday, The University of Texas Permian Basin baseball team scored a combined 21 runs in the third and fourth innings of a 23-8 win in game one of its Sunday afternoon doubleheader at Sul Ross State University. In game two, however, the Falcons needed extra innings and nearly allowed the Lobos to tie it again in the bottom of the eighth before holding on for the 15-14 win.
 
Game 1 (UTPB 23, SRSU 8):

• UTPB scored 11 runs on six hits, two walks, two hit by pitches and two errors in the third inning; and got 10 runs on six hits, three walks, another wild pitch and two errors in the fourth inning.
• 10 of UTPB's 16 hits were extra-base hits, including nine doubles and three players with two doubles.
• Shortstop Kaleb Scull and designated hitter Brent Rigtrup were both 3-for-5 with four RBI's, three runs scored and two doubles.
• Scull hit both a leadoff solo home run and a two-run double in the third inning, and added his third extra-base hit in two innings with his second RBI-double of the game in the fourth inning.
• Rigtrup had an RBI-double to score Carson Johnson for the first run of the game in the first inning and then added a three-run double in the third inning.
• Left fielder Jack Haggerty was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two doubles.
• First baseman Taylor McDaniel was 2-for-5 with four RBI's and two runs scored. He hit a two-run single in the third inning and had a two-run double in the fourth.
• Catcher Jarren Lewis was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a double.
• Johnson walked three times and scored three runs; right fielder Dayton Osborn (1-for-2 with a walk) was the fifth and final Falcon to score three runs in the contest; and center fielder Andrew Prado was 1-for-2 with two RBI's, two runs scored and a sacrifice fly.
• Starting pitcher Nolan LaChappa improved to 3-3 on the season with five innings pitched allowing four hits, five runs, three walks and six strikeouts. He pitched perfect 1-2-3 first and second innings before giving up back-to-back home runs to lead off the bottom of the third inning. In addition, two of the five runs against him came via a balk while the remaining run came courtesy of a bases-loaded walk.

 
Game 2 (UTPB 15, SRSU 14):

• UTPB scored four runs in the first inning and five in the second to lead 9-0 after two innings, but gave up four runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to cut it to a one-score game (9-8), and gave up two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game (11-11). The Falcons then put up a four-spot in the top of the eighth inning, but nearly gave it all back by allowing three runs in the bottom of the eighth.
• SRSU hit a pair of two-run home runs off of Timmy LaChappa in the bottom of the fourth, and Johnson hit a two-run home run of his own to left field to make it an 11-8 Falcons' lead in the top of the sixth.
• In the bottom of the seventh for SRSU, back-to-back hit by pitches to lead off the inning were followed two batters later by a game-tying two-run double to center field.
• Then in the top of the eighth, Scull led off with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt by Haggerty and an intentional walk to Johnson, UTPB unloaded for three straight RBI-hits. It started with a double down the left field line by Rigtrup to score Johnson, and then a single to left field by Makai DeSoto scored both Johnson and Rigtrup. What would go on to be the winning-run came thanks to a double down the right field line by Ethan Ralph to score DeSoto.
• In the bottom of the eighth, SRSU had its second two home run inning of the game to make it interesting. The first was a solo shot with one out, and then the second was a two-out, two-run blast, but after being unable to close out the save in the previous inning, Bryan Adams (1-1) regrouped to get a groundout to third base to end it.
• SRSU's four home runs came from four different players.
• For UTPB, 14 of its 15 runs came from the first five players in the batting order.
• Johnson was 2-for-4 with four runs scored and four RBI's, including an RBI-double in the first inning and a two-run home run in the sixth.
• Rigtrup was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI's, including RBI-doubles in the first inning and the eighth inning.
• DeSoto was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI-singles, including one in the eighth inning.
• Scull and Haggerty both scored twice from the top-two spots in the lineup.

 
Team Records:

• UTPB's record moves to 12-24 overall and 12-23 in the Lone Star Conference while Sul Ross' moves to 4-36 and 3-36.

 
Coach's Quote:

• UTPB Head Coach Justin Phillips said, "I am proud of the way we came out game one. We executed early and often. We have to finish the game better and stay in it every pitch. Game two was a battle of the bullpens, and we finally came through. In addition, great timely hitting came through for our offense in the end."

 
Next Up: The fourth and final game of the series between UTPB at Sul Ross will start at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 7, as the Falcons try to earn their first four-game sweep of the season.