On Sunday afternoon at Wilder Field, the WBU baseball team was down 9-1 after four and a half innings, came back to tie the score at 10 with four runs in the bottom of the eighth, but lost 12-10 after the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma plated two runs in the ninth to take the game and the series, two games to one.
It was the second time in as many weeks that the Pioneers fell behind big early in the third game of a Sooner Athletic Conference series, and then rallied back. Just over a week ago at Southern Nazarene, the WBU baseball team trailed 13-3 in the fourth, then came back to make it a one-run decision in a 15-14 loss.
Wayland had just one hit in the game off, Eddie Allen's bunt single in the first, until Todd Jeffress picked up a RBI bloop single in the fourth to make it 4-1. After the Drovers put up a five spot in the fifth, the Pioneers began to work their way back, beginning with Brett Cook's three-run homer over the leftfield fence in the bottom of the inning.
WBU got two more in the sixth after a Franky Busani double and Keith Martin's monster homer into the wind just to the right of the big fence in center.
The visitors picked up an unearned run in the seventh to make it 10-6. Wayland was held scoreless in the bottom of the inning, but tied it up with four runs in the eighth.
Busani again got things started with a single through the left side. Jeffress followed with a hit to right center. A dropped fly ball by the Drover right fielder scored Busani, and Bobby Curtis's single up the middle plated pinch runner Ben Seymore. A base hit off the bat of Pedro Gomez put runners in scoring position for Cook, who picked up two more RBI with a sharp hit to right.
Relief pitcher Todd Jeffress, who got the final two outs of the seventh before pitching a scoreless eighth, hit second baseman Josh Moore to start the ninth. The next batter popped up an attempted bunt to WBU catcher Brett Sheppard for the first out, but right fielder Brad Sylvester got a seeing-eye single through the hole on the right side of the Pioneer infield. Jeffress struck out the next batter, and appeared to get the third out of the inning with a pretty pitch on a 2-2 count to leadoff hitter Kai Kirby, but the home plate umpire saw things differently and Kirby drew the walk on the next pitch. Shortstop Kevin Carby, who went 4-for-4 on the day, picked up the game winning RBI with a two-run single left.
Down two runs in their final at bat and with two outs on the board, Jeffress reached base on an error by the USAO third baseman. Josh Lucas got his first hit of the day on the very next pitch, a double to the wall in left center. WBU third base coach Josh Milner waved Jeffress home, and it looked like the senior would score easily, but he stumbled badly going around the bag, looked to regain his balance, and then stumbled again before being tagged out easily short of home plate.
Ricky Duke (6-2) got the complete game victory, giving up nine earned runs on 12 hits. He walked three and struck out two, throwing 140 pitches.
The loss dropped the Pioneers, 25-10 overall, to fifth place in the conference standings with a 10-8 record. USAO, which is 26-6 overall, maintained its hold on third place with a 10-5 mark. WBU goes back on the road this week with a trip to Alva, Okla. where they will take on Northwestern Oklahoma State University (21-13, 8-7). The Rangers were swept over the weekend at Lubbock Christian University.
