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Box Score 2 OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- Marcus Limon struck out 11 in five innings of work and the Pioneer batters scored 17 runs in two innings on their way to a 20-3 victory over Mid-America Christian in the first game of a Sooner Athletic Conference doubleheader on Friday afternoon. The Evangels came back to take the second game, 5-3.
Trailing 2-0 after two, WBU crossed the plate six times in the third inning. Calvin Bass led off with a double that went right over the first base bag. A flyout and a strikeout were followed by a RBI single by Ben Christian and a run-scoring double off the bat of Miguel Pagan. After Kevin Hennessey drew a walk and Aldo Mendez picked up a hit to right, Brian Embery launched his third home run of the season over the fence in left centerfield.
Limon allowed another run in the bottom of the inning despite striking out the side, and then had to sit and watch for 35 minutes while his teammates belted out 11 runs on nine hits in the fourth.
Eddie Allen and Pagan each had a single and a double in the inning. Mendez and Hennessey also doubled, Ben Christian scored two runs on a single and a walk, and Embery plated two on a base hit.
The long wait seemed to rejuvenate Limon because the senior from Lubbock struck out five of the final seven batters he faced. His final line read three runs on five hits with two walks and the 11 K's.
After producing 17 hits in the early game, the Pioneers could muster just six off the two Evangel pitchers in the late one.
Pagan got two of the hits, including his third double of the day. Aldo Mendez also picked up a pair of hits and knocked in the first Wayland run of the game. Allen had the only other RBI on a bases loaded walk in the sixth.
MACU scored one run in each of the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings off starting pitcher Gabe Sandersius. Three of the runs came on solo homers, while the two others were results of two Pioneer errors.
WBU left bases loaded in both the fourth and sixth innings. In the seventh the Pioneers hit the ball hard, but didn't get the hoped-for result, Pagan led off with a base hit up the middle. Hennessey hit a hard shot that seemed to be headed into right field, but the Evangel second baseman made a diving stab to force Pagan at second. On the next pitch, Mendoza hit another rope, but this time the shortstop made the great stop, leading to a game-ending double play.
Sandersius took the loss, allowing three earned runs on 13 hits. The senior southpaw walked just one and struck out nine.
The two teams meet on Saturday at 1 p.m. to decide who wins the series.
