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PLAINVIEW, Texas --- On Friday morning the Wayland Baptist baseball team was stuck all alone in the cellar of the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. Late Saturday afternoon, after a three-game series sweep over the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma, the Pioneers found themselves up three spots and still alive for a place in the conference tournament to be held at Wilder Field on May 4-6. WBU won the final game of the series 10-9.
"I told the team this week that we would need to win 10 of these next 15 conference games to have a shot at making it to the post-season," said a very happy Brad Bass, who is in his 16th season as head of the Wayland baseball program. "I told them I didn't care how they did it, whether in came in twos or threes, but that they just needed to get the job done. This was a huge start."
The Pioneers are now 6-12 in the SAC and 20-21 overall. They are a game in front of St. Gregory's University, which is 5-13. Their next opponent, Northwestern Oklahoma State has a conference mark record of 6-16.
"I've seen a new and better attitude in the last couple of weeks from everyone on the team. We lost the series last weekend at Mid-America, but played well and more as a team. That performance carried over to Tuesday when we came from behind to beat West Texas, and that carried over to these three games."
WBU's Chris Lee and Calvin Bass hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Saturday to break an 8-8 tie, and Brian Embery made a fantastic defensive play in the top of the ninth that preserved the win.
With the Pioneers clinging to a 10-9 lead and a runner on second base with two outs, USAO's Cody Bridgman appeared to tie the game up with a base hit that seemed headed into centerfield. Embery had other ideas, however, with a great diving stop in the grass directly behind second base to keep the ball from going any further into the outfield and forcing the runner to stop at third.
Aldo Mendez, who took over on the mound in the ninth, got the next batter to fly out to right field, picking up his third save in the last four games.
"Aldo has really come through for us. We were struggling with closing out games, and he has stepped up and has taken over that role."
WBU's Eddie Allen doubled down the left field line to open the game. The senior shortstop has hit safely in 19 straight games. Miguel Pagan hit his 11th home run of the season to put the Pioneers up 2-0.
The Drovers made it 4-2 with four runs on three hits in the third, highlighted by designated hitter Brandon Jewett's two-run blast.
After Kevin Hennessey led off the fourth with a double down the line, Mendez knotted the score at four with a two-run bomb that just stayed inside the foul pole in left.
The Drovers regained the lead with a two-run sixth, but WBU answered in the bottom of the inning when Hennessey belted out his 14th long ball. Mendez followed with a double, advanced to third on Embery's ground out and crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Lee.
Each team scored two in the seventh to make it 8-8. Pioneer relief pitcher Derrick Sampel retired the side in order in the eighth, setting up the solo shots by Lee and Bass.
USAO outhit the Pioneers 15-13 in the contest, but nine of the Wayland hits went for extra bases.
The Pioneers, winners of four straight, host another SAC opponent on Monday evening when Lubbock Christian comes to town. The #16 Chaparrals (31-9, 11-7) won three straight against Northwestern Oklahoma over the weekend, outscoring the Rangers57-7 in the series. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 6:30.
