During the first couple of months of the 2009 baseball season, the Pioneer baseball team had a habit of falling behind by large deficits early in a ballgame, rallying back, but falling just short of the win. Over the course of the last month, however, the boys in the dark blue penstripes have found ways to get the W. On Friday, Wayland overcame early deficits in both games of their doubleheader with Oklahoma Christian to pull out 12-8 and 8-1 victories.
The #24 Pioneers have now won 13 of their last 14 games and are 38-11 overall and 17-9 in Sooner Athletic Conference action.
The visiting Eagles jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning of the opener on a three-run homer by designated hitter Zac Coshow, a two-run triple by Tyler Gipson and a run-scoring double off the bat of Chance Nichols.
After OC walked the bases loaded with one out in the second, WBU coach Brad Bass brought in lefty reliever Jason Kimzey. The senior got out of the inning after a great over-the-should catch on a foul pop-up by Brett Cook and a fielder's choice.
Kimzey shut down the Eagles over the course of the next four innings, allowing just three hits and striking out six. With Kimzey doing his job on the mound, the Pioneer batters finally took over.
WBU got on the board in the second when Bobby Curtis doubled home Keith Martin, who had singled. Two innings later, Martin made it 6-2 with a solo homer.
The Pioneers erupted for 10 runs in the fifth on nine hits. Pedro Gomez led off with a single through the right side and advanced to third on Cook's double to right center. Eddie Allen lifted a ball to right field for a sacrifice fly, plating Gomez. Brett Sheppard brought in Cook with a base hit up the middle, followed by Franky Busani's 19th home run of the season.
Todd Jeffress got on with a single that karroomed off starting pitcher Ryan Morris' arm, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Martin's double down the right field line.
After a pitching change, Josh Lucas and Curtis drew back-to-back walks, Martin scored on a passed ball, and Lucas came in on a perfectly executed squeeze from Gomez. Cook singled home Curtis, and then crossed the plate himself on Allen's triple to the wall in left center. Sheppard picked up his second RBI of the inning with another base hit to make it 12-6.
Kimzey, who improved to 5-0, gave up two runs with one out in the top of the seventh, but Brett Swett came in to get the final two outs of the contest.
The visitors put up the first run of the game in the nightcap when lead-off hitter Ray Long hit a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left, but that was the only scoring the Eagles would do off WBU starting pitcher Trevor Stringer. Stringer went the distance for Wayland, allowing just the one run on six hits and striking out eight. The sophomore recorded his eighth win without a loss this season.
The Pioneers captured the school record for most homers in a season when Lucas launched a rocket over the center field fence and across the roof of Hutcherson Center in the second inning. The homer was the 102nd of the season by WBU, breaking the old mark of 101 set in 2006.
Brett Cook continued his assault on the Pioneer record book with his 50th career double to lead off the fifth. The two-base hit moved Cook ahead of Nathan Culwell, who hit 49 doubles over a three year period from 1998 to 2000.
Wayland got its eight runs on seven hits and five walks. Cook, Jeffress and Lucas each had two hits.
The two teams will finish out the series on Saturday afternoon with the first pitch scheduled to be thrown at 1 pm.
