Box Score ODESSA –
Will Bass had three hits, drove in three runs and scored twice, and
Gaby De La Cruz hit his third home run in two games as the Wayland Baptist Pioneers won their eighth straight game, beating Texas-Permian Basin here Tuesday afternoon, 11-3.
Wayland scored a pair of early runs in the first inning then scratched in four of the last five frames, including four big runs in the fifth when the Pioneers collected five of their 16 hits. A double by
Brayden Blackwell opened the inning, then Bass and Vallance followed with singles.
Josh Alexander and Ernesto Lizardo drove in a run each with fly-outs before
Ethan Percell made it 6-0 with an RBI-single.
Bass drove in his third run of the game in the sixth, plating
Dillan Vigil who opened the inning with a double.
Wayland made it 9-1 in the seventh when Alexander single and De La Cruz delivered a two-run homer, then the Pioneers put up their final two runs in the ninth.
Colton Palmer doubled down the left-field line, went to third on a single by
Josh Vera, and scored on a wild pitch. After
Kyle Herrington was hit by a pitch and runners moved up on another wild pitch, Bass plated Vera on an RBI-groundout.
Wayland put up its first two runs on a bunt single by Bass, an RBI-single by Alexander then an RBI-groundout by Lizardi that plated
Aaron Vallance, who boarded on the first of three UTPB errors.
The Pioneers used four pitchers, with
Jose Urena (1-2) throwing the first five and picking up his first win of the season. Urena gave up five hits and one run while striking out four and walking one.
Craig Cook pitched the next 2 1/3, allowing two hits and a run while fanning three.
Kyle Parriera closed out the eighth before
Jordie Henry finished up, allowing three hits but just one run.
It Wayland's second win of the season over UTPB, having also beaten the Falcons a month earlier in Plainview, 21-4.
The Pioneers return to Sooner Athletic Conference play on Friday in Bethany, Okla., against Southwestern Christian (10-8, 1-4), playing two beginning at noon Friday then a single game at noon Saturday. The Eagles split a doubleheader with St. Gregory's to open conference play then were swept by top-rankled Oklahoma Baptist, 15-5, 2-0, and 5-3.
