FC Tulsa edged El Paso Locomotive FC 1–0 on Saturday night, with Lamar Batista striking the only goal in first-half stoppage time to secure all three points in USL Championship action.

The match was scrappy from the start. Batista picked up an early yellow card in the ninth minute, setting an aggressive tone. El Paso's Kofi Twumasi followed him into the book on 39 minutes as both sides struggled to create clean chances amid a fractious opening half.

Then, right when it looked like the teams would head into the break level, Batista made amends for his earlier indiscretion. Jamie Webber delivered the final ball and Batista finished to put FC Tulsa ahead in the first minute of added time — a gut punch for the Locomotive heading into halftime.

El Paso came out needing a response in the second half but never found one. Gabi Torres was cautioned on the hour mark, and the visitors' frustration only mounted as the clock wound down. Amando Moreno picked up a yellow in the 83rd minute, moments after Webber was also booked for FC Tulsa. The final stretch was tetchy — five yellows across the 90 minutes told the story of a physical, hard-fought contest — but El Paso couldn't carve out an equalizer.

Batista's contribution was the defining moment: booked early, he could have retreated into caution but instead delivered the decisive blow before halftime.

The victory gives FC Tulsa valuable points at home as they look to solidify their position in the Western Conference standings during the second half of the season.