Box Score The Wayland Baptist baseball team managed to crank out 12 runs in a single inning against West Texas A&M on Tuesday afternoon at Wilder Field, but its offensive explosion in the sixth inning wasn't enough to top the Buffs as the Pioneers fell, 20-13.
In an almost four-hour, non-conference contest that saw the teams combine for 33 runs, 27 hits and eight errors, WT (22-14) struck early, scoring two in the first, three in the second and one run each in the third and fourth innings. After both teams settled down in the fifth, the Buffs scored another two in the sixth, building what appeared to be a comfortable nine-run lead.
The Pioneers (16-24) broke it open in the bottom of the sixth, however, as
Johnny Hendrixson tripled to right center and went on to score after an error on the relay throw. After three walks loaded the bases,
Lorenzo Soriano singled through the left side of the infield, scoring both
Steven Polito and
Brian Allen.
The Pioneers earned three more free passes before Hendrixson came to the plate for the second time of the inning, smashing a grand slam over the right field fence to bring Wayland within one. After the fifth walk of the inning and a single by Polito, Allen hit a three-run homer to give the Pioneers a 12-9 lead before WT finally was able to close out the inning.
The Buffs quickly gained back the lead in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs on three hits to go up by one, 13-12. Determined to stay in the game, WBU's
Gregg Veneklasen drove in
Colton Palmer from second on a double to left field to tie up the score in the home half of the seventh.
The back-and-forth battle ended in the eighth, however, as the Buffs pushed across five more runs off of four Pioneer pitchers, giving them an 18-13 lead.
The Wayland bats finally were silenced as WT struck out the side in the eighth and ended the game on a 5-4-3, around-the-horn double play, giving West Texas A&M the 20-13 victory.
Despite the tough loss, the Pioneers put on an offensive show for the 400-plus local and area elementary students on hand, scoring 13 runs off of 10 hits, including two long balls.
Wayland returns to Sooner Athletic Conference action Friday as the team travels to Claremore, Okla., to take on No. 15 Rogers State University. The first of a four-game series is slated for a 3 p.m. start.
