WICHITA, Kan. — Kane McCarthy provided another excellent start on the mound, but the Newman baseball team couldn't solve the opposing pitching in a loss to Texas-Permian Basin to close a Heartland Conference series Saturday afternoon at McCarthy Field.

The Jets (18-9, 6-3 Heartland) already had the series sealed up after earning two walk-off victories on Friday, but the Falcons (9-21, 2-7 Heartland) found a way to earn their own narrow victory, stranding 12 Newman runners to earn the 2-1 win.

UTPB got on the board without a hit in the second inning, using a wild pitch, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice bunt and a sac fly to take the lead, which would be just about all it needed. That was the only frame in the first four that the guests got anything other than a 1-2-3 inning against McCarthy, who tossed the first eight innings and allowed just two hits and the one run while walking none and striking out four.

A ninth-inning insurance run turned out to be crucial for the Falcons, as the Jets started a comeback in a bid to get a third straight walk-off win. Lucas Norton cracked his second hit of the day with one down, moved up to second on a wild pitch and slid to third on Nick Griffin's single to right. He scored on Tyler Bugner's fielder's choice, but the Falcons got a groundout to seal the win.

Norton went 2-for 3 on the day, as did Paul Rupnik, who also drew a walk. Griffin and Daniel Jahnke added the other hits for the Jets, who outhit UTPB 6-4.

The Jets are back in action Tuesday, hosting Northwestern Oklahoma State in a nonconference game at McCarthy Field.