Resilient Pioneers rally from 11-run hole for 16-15 win

Box Score On the strength of an 11-run eighth inning, Wayland Baptist turned what almost was a 10-run rule loss into an incredible 16-15 come-from-behind win over Midland University (Neb.) on Monday evening at Wilder Field.
 
"I really believed we had that kind of a team, that whether things were going right or not going right, they would keep competing and keep battling and do whatever they need to do to win a game," Wayland coach Brad Bass said.
 
The Pioneers (16-15) did exactly that in gutting out their 11^th win in 12 games…and more.
 
After the Warriors – who arrived only about an hour before the start of the game – scored six runs in the top of the eighth, the Pioneers were trailing 15-4 and seemingly totally out of it when things got really crazy.
 
By the time the improbable inning was over, the Pioneers had sent 16 batters to the plate, drawn six walks and managed five hits to somehow tie the score. The Warriors, who committed two deadly errors in the inning, changed pitchers three times in an attempt to stop the bleeding, which they finally did, but not before the momentum had swung entirely to Wayland.
 
"We had totally gotten beat on the freebie battle – walks, hit by pitches. It took us until the eighth inning, but that reversed itself," Bass said. "The guys just took it in stride and didn't give up."
 
Michael Cowan, Wayland's fourth pitcher, came on in the ninth and retired the Warriors on a fly-out to center and two strikeouts. After that, the handful of fans that remained could sense the Pioneers – with the top of the order coming up – were about to steal one.
 
Will Bass slapped a single to center on a ball that originally was ruled an out, but was reversed after it was ruled a diving Cole Gray trapped the ball. Aaron Vallance then put down a picture-perfect bunt to put two runners on.
 
Then the guy who's been doing it all for Wayland of late, Josh Alexander, did it again…with a little help from the Midland right-fielder.
 
Freshman Taylor Balsino, who entered the game in the eighth when Dylan Steyer went from right to the pitcher's mound, couldn't handle Alexander's high fly ball down the line. When the ball popped out of Balsino's glove, Bass raced home with the winning run, and the Pioneers somehow had pulled it off!

"Obviously they have a good team. They did a good job of playing defense and competing themselves," Bass said of the Warriors. "It was just one of those nights when there's a  lot of balls thrown. That changes your approach at the plate sometimes.
 
"It's the nature of the game. That last out can be really hard to get."
 
The telling eighth inning opened with Alexander reaching on an error. Gaby De La Cruz singled before Ernesto Lizardo struck out.
 
Ethan Percell had an RBI-single for the first hit of the inning, then Austin Davis drew the first walk, followed by bases-loaded free pass by Dillan Vigil.
 
Midland made its first pitching change, but that didn't help matters.
 
Brayden Blackwell drew another RBI-walk, then Bass' single through the right side made it 15-8. An error at second on Vallance's grounder helped two runs across and brings the Pioneers to within five.
 
Another pitching change was met with another walk to Alexander. After De La Cruz flied out for the second out, Lizardi and Percell drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks, making it a 15-12 game.
 
Davis came through with an RBI-single through the right side and forced Steyer to come out of right field to pitch. Vigil delivered the biggest and final blow of the inning, a two-run double to left-center that tied it.
 
The teams combined for 30 hits and eight errors. Wayland wound up with 16 hits – three each by Bass, De La Cruz and Percell  -- while Vigil produced four RBIs. De La Cruz scored a team-best three runs.
 
The Pioneers and Warriors continue the series with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Tuesday.