Box Score The Wayland Baptist baseball team erupted for 21 runs Tuesday afternoon against UT-Permian Basin, handing the Falcons a 21-4 loss, their first of the season, at Wilder Field.
Wayland (4-3) strung together six-straight hits to open the bottom of the first, scoring four runs off a double from
Josh Alexander and a home run from
Gaby De La Cruz. After Matt Villanova walked the seventh batter he faced, UT-Permian Basin (3-1) went to the bullpen.
Colton Palmer drove in courtesy runner
Josh Vera to give Wayland a 5-0 lead, but the Falcons escaped the inning after a ground out and a base-running mistake ended the inning.
The Pioneers capitalized on three errors from the UTPB defense, scoring six runs on just one hit.
Chris Buitron came up with the only hit in the inning, but De La Cruz,
Brayden Blackwell and Palmer all had RBIs in the inning.
Wayland scored three in the third, two in the fourth and four in the fifth before the Falcons finally put up a zero in the sixth inning.
Vera scored the Pioneers' final run in the bottom of the seventh with his first-career home run. The sophomore from Plainview crushed a fastball over the right-field fence to give Wayland a 21-4 lead.
The score would stand as
Kyle Parriera and Michael Cowen shutout the Falcons in the eighth and ninth innings to give the Pioneers their fourth win of the year.
The majority of the Pioneer pitching staff threw Tuesday, with each pitcher throwing one inning against UTPB.
Taylor Bridges started the game, but
Tyler Adams was credited with the win, his first of the year. Adams struck out one and allowed just one baserunner after a hit up the middle went off the tall, right-hander's glove.
In addition to Adams, Parriera and Cowen throwing shutout innings,
Jose Urena,
Jordie Henry,
Joey DiCarlo, and
Derick Spargo also prevented the Falcons from crossing the plate.
Will Bass' offensive tear continued against the Falcons, going 2-for-4, scoring three runs and stealing a base, but Alexander, De La Cruz,
Ernesto Lizardi, and
Buitron all had two hits for the Pioneers. De La Cruz had the biggest day at the plate for WBU, driving in four and scoring four runs with a double and homer. The junior from Carolina, Puerto Rico is slugging .792 on the year.
Kyle Herrington also had an extra-base hit Tuesday, hitting a double down the left field line to score two runs after pinch hitting in the fifth.
The Pioneers return to the field Friday to take on MidAmerica Nazarene in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. at Wilder Field. Â
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