Pioneers split series with Sterling

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
On another beautiful day at Wilder Field, the Wayland Baptist baseball team hosted Sterling College (Kan.), who is receiving votes in the top-25, for the final two games of a four-game series. The Pioneers took game one, 3-2, but the Warriors came back to take the final game, 5-3, and even the series, two games apiece.

"I loved what we did this weekend," head coach Brad Bass exclaimed. "It turned out to be a good weekend and we got almost everyone in, and the guys that came in answered the call successfully.

"I was also happy because we gave ourselves a chance to win three of the four games. Winning a four-game series is tough, but I was glad that we got a split.
They've earned the reputation of being one of the top teams in the country, and rightfully so, but Wayland needs to be in that conversation too. We made a lot of plays…and we played like a team that has (winning a) championship on its mind today."  

In game one, Wayland (3-3) scored all three of its runs with two outs in the fourth inning off Sterling's Anthony Dixon. Kyle Herrington and Lorenzo Soriano gave the Warriors (2-2) two quick outs, but Ernesto Lizardi got the Pioneers on the board with a solo home run to give WBU a 1-0 lead.

Colton Palmer and Aaron Vallance kept the inning going with back to back singles, and Will Bass lifted a pitch into right field that carried all the way to the warning track. Sterling's right fielder, Isaiah Delsi, had a bead on the ball, but dropped it at the last second and allowed two more runs to score. Delsi's error gave Wayland a 3-0 lead after four complete.

Sterling answered in the next frame, however, responding with two runs to get within one of tying the game.

Joey DiCarlo, who got the Pioneers out of a jam in the top of the fourth with an inning-ending double play, started the fifth and walked three of the first four hitters.
Jake Morgan singled to score two runs, prompting Coach Bass to return to the bullpen.

Bass went with Logan Evans who, with runners at second and third and one out, saved the lead by getting a pop up and a fly ball to end the innings.

With the help of a double play, Evans pitched a perfect sixth, setting up Michael Cowan with a save opportunity.

Cowan closed the game out in dominating fashion, save a swinging bunt single, to give Wayland a 3-2 win.

After a quick break, the Pioneers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game two.

Bass led the game of with a single to left center and Ethan Percell was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Josh Alexander hit a hard grounder that Sterling's shortstop couldn't handle, scoring Bass from second base.

Gaby De La Cruz went down on strikes and Herrington looked as if he had hit into an inning-ending double play, but Jacob Hudson, the Warriors' starting pitcher couldn't handle the ball and everyone was safe on the play.

Hudson got Soriano to strike out, but with two strikes Brayden Blackwell poked a single to center field to score Percell and Alexander to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead.

Unfortunately, that was it for Wayland's offense the rest of the day, as Sterling held the Pioneers to just three hits over the final six innings.

Sterling scratched its first run off with a line-drive homer over the right-center fence in the fourth, but it was the top of the sixth that did the Pioneers in.

In his first at bat of the day, pinch-hitter Devin MacGregor laced a double in the left-center gap to lead off the sixth inning. Derick Spargo got the next batter to pop up, but DiCarlo was brought in for a lefty-lefty matchup with Delsi, who hit a homer in the fourth.

Delsi worked a five pitch walk and Bass brought in Cowan to try for a five-out save. On the first pitch of the at bat, Beau Kallas launched a three-run home run to give the Warriors their first lead of the day, 4-3. Clay Eagleton followed with a blast of his own, giving Sterling a two-run cushion against the dangerous, Pioneer lineup.

"What we do in February plays a big roll into us getting into the top-25 poll, and if we win that fourth game and take the series against a team like Sterling, we would have been in the polls for a while," Bass said. "If that game didn't have any weight on the poll, then I wouldn't have brought Mikey in, but he's the guy and he's really good so I brought him in for the third time this weekend.

"He wasn't quite as sharp as he was in his other appearances, but he is really, really good and he'll shake that off and be big for us this year."

Hudson gave up a single to pinch-hitter Chris Buitron in the sixth and Bass singled off closer Anthony Dixon in the seventh, but the Warriors shutout the Pioneers in their final two at bats to take the final game of the series, 5-3.

Bass had two hits in each game Saturday and scored once, while Percell, Lizardi, and Blackwell had a hit and an RBI each, with Blackwell plating two.

Jose Urena started game one for the Pioneers, throwing three and a thirds innings without allowing a run, but DiCarlo picked up his second win of the year in the opener. Jordie Henry threw four and two-thirds of solid baseball in his first collegiate start, striking out four and allowing just one run.

"Jordie has looked good from the get go," Bass said of his freshman pitcher. "It's one thing to look good in practice and another to look good in a game, but still another thing to look that good against a great team. He did an amazing job and all I could think of was that I have this guy for four years. He's going to fill out and get better over the years…and he's going to be really, really good.

"I also liked what I saw from Kyle Parriera. He had some good innings this weekend, too. He's another freshman that did a really good job for us who will be a really good pitcher for us for a long time. He reminds me of Jason Shiplet who was here awhile back and he was the guy that nobody wanted to face, and they'll all be saying that about Kyle someday."

Bass also bragged about his defense which committed just one error Saturday, but erased it with a beautiful double play.

"We had a good day defensively too," he said. "I can only remember one error and we doubled up the next guy on an excellent double play. If we can turn that double play, then we're going to turn a bunch of them.

"Our outfield looked great again this weekend, too. Josh threw a couple guys out, Colton (Palmer) made a great diving catch, and Ethan robbed a home run."  

The Pioneers return to the diamond Tuesday where they host UT-Permian Basin (4-0) at 3 p.m. at Wilder Field. Wayland takes on MidAmerica Nazarene (Olathe, Kan.) on Friday and Saturday in another four-game series.