Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Pioneer baseball team split its series-opening doubleheader with St. Gregory's University on a breezy day at Wilder Field on Friday. Wayland fell in game one of the Sooner Athletic Conference matchup, 4-3, before picking up the pace in game two, winning by a count of 9-0.
Wayland (14-23, 6-7 SAC) got off to a slow start in game one against Cavalier ace Ben Moore, who got the run support he needed to pick up his sixth win of the season. Moore, who pitched a complete game and picked up a win against No. 6 Lubbock Christian University on March 28, went the distance again as he threw seven complete innings while striking out eight Pioneer hitters.
St. Gregory's (14-22, 2-12) wasted no time putting up runs to help out Moore, scoring a run in both the first and second innings and two in the third. After WBU starting pitcher
Tom Bailey gave up a two-run homerun that just stayed inside the left field foul pole in the third, he settled down and surrendered only more hit and no runs the rest of the way. Unfortunately, the four runs the Cavaliers scratched off to start the game proved to be the difference in the game.
After the Cavaliers' two-run blast put the visiting team up 4-0, the Pioneers answered with two of their own.
Gregg Veneklasen started the third inning off with a single to center then advanced after the ball was misplayed in the outfield.
Bernie Rosario, who had a stellar day at the plate, got the first of his four hits on the day by singling to left, advancing Veneklasen to third. A wild pitch scored Veneklasen and moved Rosario 90 feet closer.
Josh Chinni picked up an RBI by scoring Rosario, who had again advanced, this time on a pass ball, to cut the lead in half, 4-2.
Wayland continued its comeback attempt in the fourth as right fielder
Steven Polito singled on a push bunt then advanced to second on an errant throw by the pitcher. With two outs, Rosario singled to center, driving in Polito and pulling within a single run.
Moore held his ground, however, as he stranded two runners in the bottom of both the sixth and seventh.
The Pioneers made things really interesting in their final frame as
Chris Buitron drew a two-out walk and
Jovany Padilla singled through the right side of the infield, putting the tying run in scoring position. Pinch hitter
Craig Cook was called on, but Moore once again buckled down and got Cook to go down on strikes to end the game, preserving the 4-3 victory.
Game two was a different story as the Pioneers benefitted from impressive performances by Rosario and starting pitcher
Jose Urena to go along with a solid team effort.
Urena gave up a one-out single in the first, but then got the next hitter to strike out, giving himself a little breathing room. With a runner on second and two gone, the Cavaliers' cleanup hitter hit a shot up the middle, but senior
Johnny Hendrixson came up with an 8-to-2 putout, gunning down the runner at home.
After Hendrixson's dazzling play, the Pioneers kept the momentum going after Rosario hit a two-run blast over the visitors' bullpen in left to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead, their first of the series.
A quiet second inning and a run in the third led to WBU's most productive inning in the fourth.
Brian Allen and
Colton Palmer led off with back-to-back singles, both moving up after Polito dropped down a sacrifice bunt. With a drawn-in infield, Veneklasen hit a sharp grounder to a diving first baseman, but beat him to the bag for an RBI-infield single.
Rosario came up with runners on the corners and put the first pitch he saw into the grassy area behind the left field fence, picking up not only his second dinger of the day, but of his two-year career at Wayland. Rosario finished the day by going 4-for-8, picking up seven RBIs and scoring two runs.
The Pioneers added two more runs to their total in the bottom of the sixth to increase the lead to 9-0.
Urena, who had given up only one hit between the first and seventh innings, got into a little trouble in St. Greg's final at bat. With one out, the freshman from Santiago, Dominican Republic, gave up his fourth hit of the game, walked his first batter and then went 2-0 before pitching coach
Todd Weldon went out to the mound to settle him down. The talk proved to be successful as Urena got the batter to pop up on the next pitch before ending the game by inducing a groundball to first.
Urena struck out six hitters while walking one and surrendering just four hits, picking up a 9-0 win in a complete-game shutout. In addition to Urena's and Rosario's big days, Veneklasen and Palmer also put in solid performances. Veneklasen was 5-for-8 with an RBI, four runs and a double, while Palmer went 3-for-4 with two walks, two runs and several fantastic plays in the outfield.
Wayland will finish up the series against St. Gregory's in another double dip at noon on Saturday at Wilder Field.
Pioneers vs St. Greg's Gallery
