ODESSA, Texas (February 28, 2026) – After the teams combined for 29 runs on 35 hits in game one of the series on Friday, UT Permian Basin and West Texas A&M University combined for just four runs and 10 hits in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, a 3-1 victory for the Buffaloes. Then in the final game of the day, the Falcons rallied to within one run with two innings to go, but could not find one last run and instead fell by a final of 8-7.
 
Game 1 (UTPB 1, WT 3):

• An errant pickoff throw by Damian Robles (3-1) helped lead to the first run of the game (unearned) for WT in the top of the first. After the errant throw moved the runner from first base to third base with one out, a sacrifice fly to left field brought the runner home.
• Then after a pickoff at first base in the top of the third inning was overturned on a challenge, WT took advantage with a two-run home run to left field by leadoff hitter Jonluke Hobdy to make it a 3-0 lead. It would be a costly blow as UTPB scored what would have been the tying run in the bottom of the seventh if not for the home run.
• UTPB threatened with runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning after a leadoff single by Demetrius Deramus was later followed by a one-out single to shortstop by Daylon Jefcoats, but a flyout to right field ended the inning as WT kept UTPB off the scoreboard.
• With a runner on third base with one out in the top of the fifth, Robles got out of it as shortstop Gael Bernal fielded a grounder and held the runner before throwing over to first base for the second out, and then Bernal had to range to the second-base side of the bag to make the throw over to first base for the third and final out of the inning.
• WT second baseman Zac Rackham showcased his hops to finish off a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth inning for the Buffaloes' starting pitcher, Cade Griffin (4-0), his only 1-2-3 inning of the game. Griffin originally started game one of the series on Friday, but after WT's 8-0 first-inning lead, faced only one batter before the coaching staff elected to save him for the first game on Saturday.
• With a runner on second and one out in the top of the sixth, it was again Bernal helping to keep another run off the scoreboard as he perfectly fielded a short hop and made the throw for out number two, and then again made the throw for out number three.
• WT's defensive replacement at shortstop, Ronan Hella, did his best to keep up with Bernal's heroics, fielding a nice backhand stop on a hard-hit ball for the third out in the bottom of the sixth.
• A two-out error extended the bottom of the seventh for UTPB, and Bernal made the Buffs pay with an RBI-single up the middle to help the Falcons avoid the shutout. Unfortunately, a nice catch by Hella running back on a soft lineout ended the game.
• Robles would pitch all seven innings allowing five hits, three total runs, two earned runs and zero walks on 89 pitches.
• Griffin, however, also went all seven innings and allowed five hits, one unearned run and zero walks on 98 pitches.
• There were no walks in the game, but there were four hit by pitches, including three by Robles.

 
Game 2 (UTPB 7, WT 8):

• With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the first inning, Timmy LaChappa (0-4) battled to get a called strike three for the second out, and then on a groundball fielded by Bernal headed up the middle, a great stretch by Dyck at first base retired the side.
• However, after back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the second inning, an error on a grounder to shortstop allowed the first run of the game to score from second base. A two-run single to left field and a sacrifice fly to center field added three more runs (two unearned runs) in the inning.
• With two outs in the bottom of the second, catcher Jarren Lewis singled through the right side and then "unhitched the wagon" to score from first base on an RBI-double to right center field by Braeden Dyck. That got the Falcons on the board down 4-1.
• After scoring four runs on four hits and one error in the top of the second, WT scored four runs on three hits, three walks, two wild pitches and two errors in the top of the fourth.
• Down 8-3 in the bottom of the fifth, a fortuitous hop over the third baseman on a single by Bernal was followed by a hit by pitch by Tanner Hedrick and a single to left center field by Carlos Chavez to load the bases with no outs.
• An error at shortstop scored the first run in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI for Deramus; a wild pitch scored the second run and a sacrifice fly to right field by Cruz Garcia scored the third run. Then another error on the infield, this time at second base off the bat of Lewis, scored the fourth run of the inning to make it just a one-run ballgame (8-7).
• Sebastian Lozoya pitched a 1-2-3 top of the sixth inning, and then in the bottom half UTPB stranded the tying run on second base as Bernal singled with one out to right center field and later swiped second base with two outs in the inning, but a swinging strikeout moved the game into the seventh.
• Unfortunately, the bottom of the seventh saw the Falcons go down in order with three straight swinging strikeouts on just nine pitches by Bryan Raitz. Raitz, after entering the series opener on Friday with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and helping WT hold on for the win, earned the save in game two of Saturday's doubleheader after pitching the final 2.1 innings allowing just one hit, no runs, no walks and four strikeouts.
• Offensively for UTPB, Bernal was the lone Falcon with two hits (2-for-4), Deramus scored two runs, and Garcia had both an RBI-single and a sacrifice fly.

 
Team Records:

• UTPB falls to 4-13 both overall in the Lone Star Conference while WT improves to 11-6 and extends its winning streak to nine straight games.

Next Up: The fourth and final game of the series between UTPB and West Texas A&M will start at 12 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, from Roden Field.