Pioneers split Sunday doubleheader, take series

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2


On a Sunday afternoon at Wilder Field that started out pleasant but grew increasingly colder, University of the Southwest was able to win the first game on Wayland Baptist's new artificial infield turf, 5-2, although the Pioneers responded by taking game two, 9-5, to claim the weekend series against the Mustangs, three games to one.

 

Wayland (4-3) defeated USW (1-3) twice on Saturday in Hobbs, N.M., 8-0 and 4-1. The Pioneers and Mustangs are scheduled to meet once more this season, on April 1 back at Wilder Field. Next up for Wayland is a 2 p.m. contest at home Tuesday against former Sooner Athletic Conference rival Lubbock Christian, although that game is in jeopardy of being postponed due to cold weather. Wayland's weekend trip to Kansas to Sterling (Kan.) and Peru State (Neb.) also is in limbo because of weather conditions in the Midwest, although officials have discussed the possibility of moving those games to Plainview.

 

Wayland's games Sunday against USW also were affected by weather, having been delayed from Thursday when single-digit temperatures drove them off the field. While temperatures were bearable Sunday when the first pitch was thrown at 1 p.m., five hours later at the conclusion of game two the thermometer read 30 degrees with a biting wind, to boot.

 

In the nightcap, Wayland was fueled by two four-run innings, the second and the eighth, as the Pioneers overcame three errors with 10 hits, including three from Aaron Vallance.

 

Initially, Wayland's offense got lots of help from USW pitching, which in the second inning hit a batter, issued a bases-loaded walk, and offered up three wild pitches, two of which led directly to runs. The Pioneers got three hits in the frame, including an RBI-single by Vallance, before the Mustangs stopped the bleeding with an inning-ending double-play.

 

The teams traded runs – including an RBI-sacrifice fly by Jovany Padilla in the fifth – before USW scored twice in the sixth inning after Wayland starter Jose Urena (1-0) exited after five innings, having given up only an unearned run and one hit to go with five strikeouts and three walks.



Their lead shortened to 5-3, Wayland went back to work with the bats in the sixth to score four more. After the first two Pioneers were retired, Dillan Vigil's single got the scoring spree started. Mark Davis followed with another single before Vallance and Lovato delivered back-to-back RBI-singles. Gaby De La Cruz had the big blow with a single up the gut that drove in two.

 

With the comfort of a 9-3 lead, Tyler Dolittle relieved Corey Weldon on the mound and, after initially struggling by allowing two runs on a walk, two wild pitches, a single, and an error, got the final out to ground out.

 

In the opening game, the Pioneers didn't take long to record the first-ever run on Wilder Field's new infield turf as Brayden Blackwell came home courtesy of a two-out RBI-single to center field by Damion Lovato in the bottom of the first. Blackwell had singled through the right side and took second on a wild pitch before Lovato's single.

 

USW answered loudly, and in a hurry, by scoring three runs – all with two outs – in the second and two more runs in the third, all charged to Wayland starter Craig Cook (0-1). The Mustangs earned all of their runs thanks to a total of eight hits in the two innings. USW had only one other hit in the game as Cachot Duncan and Paxton Bartley finished out the game on the mound for Wayland. Duncan recorded seven strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.

 

Wayland's other run came in the sixth when Gaby De La Cruz's double to center drove in Chris Buitron, who had walked.

 

The Pioneers finished with six hits, including two from Blackwell and two from Vallance. Junior Kris Ramirez (1-0) went the distance for the Mustangs, striking out three and walking three.