Pitching dominates again to give WBU 10th-straight win

Box Score
After another dominating performance from the Wayland Baptist pitching staff, the Pioneers picked up their 10th-straight win Wednesday, defeating Schreiner (Kerrville) at Wilder Field, 3-0.

Wayland (18-6) has allowed just one run in its last four outings, and no more than four in its last eight. The win over Schreiner (11-13) was WBU's 10th straight, the longest for the Pioneers since the 2010 season.  

Junior Craig Cook (2-1) started on the mound for the Pioneers and was followed by four teammates who pitched equally well. Cook went three innings, allowing just two hits and striking out three, while Jose Urena followed with three dominating innings of his own, giving up three hits and no walks.

Paxton Bartley, Logan Evans and Tyler Doolittle threw the seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, to close out the victory. Barley and Evans allowed only one hit apiece, while Doolittle struck out the side en route to his first save of the year.

The Pioneers were held scoreless in the first inning for the first time in four games, but WBU didn't wait long to strike, scoring its first run in the second inning. Damion Lovato and Jovany Padilla led off the inning with back-to-back doubles to give the Pioneers the lead, 1-0.

Wayland put another run on the board in the fourth after a single from Brayden Blackwell, bringing in courtesy runner Josh Vera.

Vera went first to third on Blackwell's single through the right side of the infield, but Blackwell got caught in a run-down after the throw from the right fielder. Blackwell stalled the defense long enough, however, and after a throwing error via the second baseman, Vera was able to reach home safely, giving WBU a 2-0 lead.

The Pioneer offense struggled over the next three innings, but Josh Alexander provided a spark in the bottom of the eighth with a one-out double off the left-centerfield fence. Lovato moved the runner over with a groundball that nearly snuck out of the infield before Padilla picked up his third hit of the game with an RBI-single past Schreiner's diving third baseman.

The insurance run gave Wayland a 3-0 lead, more than enough for Doolittle, who casually struck out the side to end the game.

Padilla was the hot bat in the Pioneers' lineup on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Seven of Wayland's starting nine recorded a hit against the Mountaineers as the Pioneer offense combined for nine hits on the day.

Wayland will travel to Shawnee, Okla., this weekend to take on St. Gregory's (5-14, 1-5) in another Sooner Athletic Conference showdown. The Pioneers and Cavaliers will play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Friday before finishing up the three-game series at 1 p.m. Saturday.