Baseball bounces back for two wins

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Fans saw a completely different team at Wilder Field on Saturday, as the Wayland Baptist baseball team earned a pair of wins after dropping two games Friday. The Pioneers defeated Peru State (Neb.), 4-3, on a walk-off single in the 11th inning of their first game, then handled Houston-Victoria, 7-5, in the night cap.

In the first game, Peru State (4-4) tied the game in the top of the eighth inning after trailing the majority of the contest, and after the Cougars got Wayland (8-8) to go three up, three down in the bottom of the ninth, the two teams headed into extra innings.

The Pioneers went down in order in the top of the 10th, but Michal Cowan (2-1) breezed through the Cougar lineup in the 10th and stranded two runners in the 11th, giving WBU another shot at ending the game.

Gaby De La Cruz led the inning off with a single up the middle after falling behind in the count, 1-2, and then the Pioneers got runners at first and second after an error on Ernesto Lizardi's sacrifice bunt.

Ethan Percell handled a tough pitch that ran up and in on the big left fielder, moving the runners to second and third with one out. The Cougars intentionally walked Austin Davis, who was two-for-three at that point, bringing Dillan Vigil to the plate.

The sophomore third baseman smacked the 0-1 pitch over the left fielder's head, bringing home De La Cruz to give Wayland a 4-3, walk-off win.

Wayland initially tied the game, 1-1, in the fifth on an error by the Peru State shortstop, then took the lead in the seventh when Vigil, Davis and Brayden Blackwell connected for three-straight, two-out singles to give WBU a 3-1 lead.

The Cougars tied the game back up in the next frame, scoring on an RBI single and an error. Cowan relieved starting pitcher Taylor Bridges in that inning, who looked to be back to form after a rocky start to the 2015 season. The sophomore from Lubbock threw seven and a third innings, giving up three runs on nine hits.

Cowan shut PSC down in 3.2 innings of work, collecting his second win of the year after Vigil's hit clinched the game for Wayland. The senior struck out five without allowing any runs to score.

A short break between their first and second game Saturday didn't slow the Pioneers' momentum, as Wayland got another stellar performance from its starting pitcher and the bats stayed hot.

Tyler Adams (3-0) worked a quick first inning and Josh Alexander drove in Aaron Vallance to give WBU a 1-0 lead after the first six outs.

Houston-Victoria (8-6) scored a run in the second and third innings, but Davis drove in Percell after he doubled down the left field line, and Will Bass hit a sacrifice fly to put Wayland back ahead, 3-1, in the second inning. In the third, Percell brought home De La Cruz, who led the inning off with a double, to increase Wayland's lead to two, 4-2.

The Pioneers got some much needed insurance runs in the fifth, scoring on a ground ball to third, a wild pitch and a single to right. Vigil drove in Colton Palmer, and later scored on a single to right from Blackwell. Percell also scored in the inning, crossing the plate on a wild pitch.

The three-run inning put Wayland up, 7-2, and after Kyle Parriera threw the final three innings, the Pioneers went home with a 7-5 win, their second of the day.

Adams struck out six in six innings of work, and Parriera gave up just two hits in three innings of relief, earning his first-career save.

The bottom of the lineup was crucial for Wayland's offense Saturday, as Davis, Vigil and Blackwell combined for eight hits, four runs and six RBI. The trio either scored or brought in 10 of the Pioneers' 11 runs.  

Vallance was hitless in game one, but the Pioneer shortstop went 3-for-3 in game two, while De La Cruz also put in a solid performance Saturday, collecting three hits and scoring twice in two games.

Wayland travels to Hobbs, N.M. on Tuesday to take on University of the Southwest at noon. On the weekend, the Pioneers start Sooner Athletic Conference play with a three-game series against No. 16 Oklahoma City (7-4) on Feb. 27 and 28 at Jim Wade Stadium on OCU's campus.