PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico baseball split a pair of games on Saturday against UT Permian Basin. ENMU now holds the series advantage, 2-1, going into Sunday's getaway.

Game One – UTPB 12, ENMU 4
Similar to game one of the overall series, the first contest of the Saturday doubleheader saw UT Permian Basin strike first. UTPB scored the game's first run after opening the contest with two consecutive hits. Andrew Prado began the game with a leadoff single and Daylon Jefcoats drove in his teammate on a three-pitch double to left field.

Greyhound pitcher Charlie Pierson would tighten up the ideal start for the Falcons and set down the next three batters.

The third inning would be the next point of struggle for Pierson and company. Prado continued a nice game at the plate with a leadoff homer over the right field fence. It was the first of five runs of the game to get the Falcons up, 6-0.

Eastern New Mexico would answer with two-straight frames scoring two runs, but UTPB would answer in greater fashion with three runs in both of the next two innings. That put the score at 12-4 and UTPB would close out the contest with three-straight shutout innings.

Eastern would string together eight hits with Salomon Lluveres and Gabriel Watson both having multi-hit games. Adrien Martin got on base three different times all due to walks at the plate. Cole Curtis scored two of the team's four runs in the game.

Pierson ended his day early going three innings and allowing eight UTPBruns on 10 hits and two walks. Both Jose Carranza and Kaden Widacki would come in relief for the Hounds. Carranza gave up four runs in 1.2 innings on the mound. Widacki had one of his better outings of the year going 2.1 innings hitting two batters and allowing two hits.

Game Two – ENMU 8, UTPB 7
Late drama aided Eastern New Mexico to their sixth win of the season as Salmon Lluveres' double came in clutch for the Greyhounds.

"We weren't able to minimize on the mound today," said head coach Riley Price afterwards. "The bats and solid relief pitching from Zach Raichel in game two allowed for a nice walkoff win. Salomon Lluveres has stepped up big time for us this weekend."

Both programs kept the pace of the previous contest by scoring at least one run in each of the opening three frames. UTPB scored two in the first, one in the second, two in the third, and two in the fourth to earn all seven of their runs in the first half of the game. Eastern followed that with two runs in the first, four runs in the second, and a score in the third.

The game was stalemated in the fifth and sixth innings as the Greyhounds and Falcons put up doughnuts on the scoreboard. Instead, it was the late magic to carry ENMU over the top on Saturday night. Lluveres, Curtis, and Willerup all had doubles in the win. Another important note is that eight Greyhound batters walked against UTPB in game two of the doubleheader.

Eiji Sawamura was able to score two of the team's eight runs. He posted a single and a walk in the victory.

Eastern had 12 hits in the win with Jake Willerup, Salmon Lluveres, Gabriel Watson, and Adrien Martin all having multi-hit outings.

The seventh inning saw UTPB go to reliever Santana Hernandez on the mound. He quickly got two outs and the game looked like it was going to extras. Instead, Gabriel Watson had other plans as he found a base hit through the left side and kept the inning alive. Then, on the first pitch of the at-bat, Lluveres drove a ball to left center and the Greyhounds pulled off their second win of the series against UTPB.

Raichel closed out the final two innings on the mound by going three-up, three-down two consecutive innings. He only threw 13 pitches in the outing and helped keep the game all-square before ENMU was able to capitalize on a thrilling walkoff double.

Eastern New Mexico will finish the four-game series with the Falcons on Sunday at 1 p.m.