LUBBOCK, Texas (April 25, 2026) – After winning game one of its final series of the season in comeback fashion on Friday night, The University of Texas Permian Basin baseball team had no such luck in its final doubleheader on Saturday as the Falcons fell 11-3 and 7-4 at Lubbock Christian University.
 
Game 1 (UTPB 3, LCU 11):

• UTPB did nothing with a leadoff double down the left field line by Gael Bernal in the top of the first, and then in the bottom half, left fielder Demetrius Deramus was able to track down a long fly ball to the warning track to wrap up a scoreless opening inning.
• UTPB wasted a leadoff hit for the second inning in a row after Carlos Chavez started off the second inning with a single to right field.
• Right fielder Daylon Jefcoats had to run down a flyball in the right center field gap for the first out in the bottom of the second, but then a triple off the wall in center field setup a breakout inning for the Chapparals.
• Just one pitch after the triple came an RBI-single to center field to open the scoring, and then the rest of the inning featured a three-run home run to center, a two-run homer to left and a two-run single up the middle, still all with one out. A 4-6-3 double play on the first pitch by the new arm, Shawn George, finally stopped the bleeding.
• It was an eight-hit, eight-run second inning for LCU in which the Chaps sent 11 batters to the dish.
• Three straight Falcons reached with one out in the top of the third with a single to center by Bernal, a single to left center by Jefcoats and a walk by Alden Quintanilla, loading the bases for a sacrifice fly to center field by Deramus to get UTPB on the scoreboard.
• However, a swinging strikeout would leave the bases loaded as UTPB missed an opportunity to really cut into its deficit.
• After getting the final two outs with just one pitch in the second inning, George pitched a scoreless third inning and did not allow his first hit until with two outs in the fourth inning. Despite giving up back-to-back singles and a run in the fourth inning, George still struck out the side in the inning. He then pitched a scoreless inning without giving up a hit again in the bottom of the fifth.
• George finished by allowing three hits, three runs, zero walks, two hit by pitches and four strikeouts in 4.2 innings.
• Bernal (2-for-3, hit by pitch) and Chavez (2-for-2, two walks) accounted for half of UTPB's eight hits in the game.
• Bernal scored both runs for UTPB on a sacrifice fly and a groundout by Deramus (2 RBI's).
• UTPB left 10 runners on base.

 
Game 2 (UTPB 4, LCU 7):

• Zeke Alexander (1-4) hit the first two batters in the bottom of the first, walked the third batter, and then allowed a two-run double to left field as part of a three-run first inning on just two hits for the Chaps.
• LCU then added two more runs on just one hit in the second inning, which included a ground-rule double to right center to score the first run.
• A one-out home run to left field got UTPB on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning (down 5-1), and a leadoff homer to left center field on the first pitch to Joshua Estrada made it 6-2 in the top of the fifth.
• Following Estrada's first-career home run, Braeden Dyck doubled to right center field, the team-leading 10th sacrifice bunt of the season by Marcos Castro moved him to third base with one out, and then an RBI-groundout to short by Bernal scored him to make it 6-3.
• After scoring twice in game one, Bernal led UTPB with two RBI's in game two.
• UTPB attempted to make things interesting in the top of the sixth as Quintanilla led off with a walk, and then a ground-rule double to left field by Chavez put two Falcons in scoring position with just one out. However, UTPB was only able to get one of those runs in (wild pitch), and proceeded to leave the tying run on base after a walk by Estrada and was followed by a groundout to the pitcher.
• UTPB's lone baserunner in the top of the seventh came via a two-out single to left field by Jefcoats, just the Falcons' sixth hit of the game.
• Sophomore Bryce Nall (6-1) earned the win for LCU with six innings pitched allowing five hits, four runs, two walks, one hit by pitch and four strikeouts, and then Tyler Sudderth earned the save by finishing things off in the seventh.
• Nall joined the Chaps' rotation this season after pitching last season at UT Arlington. Last weekend in a 7-1 win at Cameron University, Nall tossed a complete game with 13 strikeouts, the second-most strikeouts in a game by an LSC pitcher this season.
• Like George in game one, Kaden Johnson pitched well in relief to try and keep UTPB in it in game two. He allowed three hits, two runs, two walks, one hit by pitch and two strikeouts in 3.2 innings.

 
Team Records:

• UTPB's record falls to 14-35 both overall and in the Lone Star Conference with just one game remaining.
• LCU reaches the 30-win mark (30-19) on the season.

 
Coach's Quote:

• UTPB Head Coach Justin Phillips said, "Game one was hindered on not being able to capitalize on their mistakes. Game two we missed too many up-count pitches that cost us the game. We did not take care of the baseball today – we let them off the hook too many times. If we play all three facets of the game, we will have a chance to split the series."

Next Up: UTPB's final game of the season will start at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, from Lubbock, Texas.