Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Pioneer baseball team snapped a nine-game skid on Sunday afternoon at Wilder Field by winning the second game of a Sooner Athletic Conference doubleheader against Northwestern Oklahoma State, 10-5. The Rangers rallied to take the opener, 7-6 in eight innings.
After the disheartening loss in the first game, Wayland jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first inning of the nightcap. Catcher Brian Allen knocked home the first run with a single, and a batter later, rightfielder Josh Chinni slammed a two-run bomb over the left centerfield fence. WBU tacked on another run in the second on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Johnny Hendrixson.
The visitors made it a one-run game with a run in each of the third and fourth innings, but the Pioneers answered with four in the home half of the fourth.
Brandon Barcalow and Chris Buitron led the inning off with back-to-back base hits. Freshman centerfielder Colton Palmer brought home Barcalow on a fielder's choice. Palmer stole second and crossed the plate on Allen's second RBI of the game, a single to center. Chinni followed with his second two-run shot of the game to make it 8-3.
WBU second baseman Calvin Bass started the bottom of the fifth in a good way, planting a 2-0 pitch into the grass beyond the left field fence to make it 9-3.
Tom Bailey pitched the complete game to improve to 3-1 on the season. The sophomore allowed the five runs on nine hits. He walked five and struck out three. The Pioneer defense did not make an error behind Bailey, who got an especially great play in the outfield from Hendrixson with a runner on to end the top of the sixth.
Clay Thomas picked up the loss for the Rangers, giving up nine runs on nine Pioneer hits. He walked four Pioneer hitters and struck out six.
In the opener, WBU carried a 6-3 lead into the top of the seventh, but NWOSU's Jarad Moore hit a three-run homer off the top of the bullpen fence in left to tie the score.
Hendrixson led off the Wayland half of the seventh with a single, but a botched bunt attempt and two strike outs followed.
The Pioneers scored their six runs on five hits, three of which were solo home runs off the bats of Chinni, Josh Carroll and Bass. Allen drove in two runs on a single and a sacrifice fly.
Ryan Downs started for Wayland and held the Rangers scoreless over the first four innings. NWOSU plated its first run off Downs in the fifth, and then got two more in the sixth. The sophomore gave up six hits, walked just one and struck out four in his 5-1/3 innings of work.
Jace Chancellor got the loss. He struck out five and did not walk a batter in 2-2/3 innings, but gave up four runs on four hits.
The two teams will finish up the series with a single game on Monday at 1 p.m.
