LUBBOCK, Texas --- The play-off picture for next week's Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament got a little clearer on Friday night, and it wasn't something that the Wayland baseball team did, rather something that happened six hours away in Oklahoma City.
To put a rather blunt point on it, the Pioneers did not do a whole lot of anything in their 12-2 loss to #5 Lubbock Christian in the regular season finale, but fortunately for WBU, #7 Oklahoma City came back from a 7-3 deficit to defeat Southern Nazarene University 8-7. The SNU loss guarantees the Pioneers one of the top four seeds in the SAC tournament and a better chance at an at-large bid to the NAIA Opening Round Tournament which begins May 18.
If Northwestern State (15-13 in SAC play) splits it's doubleheader at USAO (12-16) on Saturday or if USAO sweeps, Wayland (17-13) will grab the coveted third seed. If NWOSU wins both games, then the Rangers get the third seed and the Pioneers drop to fourth. Either way, WBU will play at 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon in Oklahoma City against either the Storm (if NWOSU loses two) or the Rangers (if NWOSU splits or wins both).
Back to the game in Lubbock, the Wayland defense made as many errors, 3, as the offense got hits, 3. The only Pioneer runs came in the third inning when Eddie Allen walked, stole second and scored on Pedro Gomez's base hit to right. Kevin Hennessey brought home Gomez on a double down the left field line to tie the score at 2.
One inning later, however, the Chaps plated four runs, two of which were unearned, and then got another unearned run in the fifth. LCU wrapped it up with five in the bottom of the eighth to put an early end to the cool and breezy evening.
Freshman Jose Santiago got the only other Pioneer hit, a two-out single in the top of the eighth off reliever Kevin Burns.
It's not that Wayland didn't get on base. In fact, nine runners were left stranded. Three LCU pitchers combined to issue seven walks in the contest and hit one, but Pioneer hitters tied a season-high with 12 strikeouts that put an end to most every chance of a rally.
Pitching in his final regular season game, Chaparral senior Tanner Vickers (2-1) picked up the win, giving up just two hits in five innings of work.
Trevor Stringer (4-2) got the loss for the Pioneers. The junior from Lubbock gave up seven runs, four earned, on seven hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out three.
Senior Brett Swett was the most effective WBU pitcher, throwing two shutout innings.
The Pioneers finish the regular season with a record of 29-20. LCU improves to 40-11.
