Urena, 4 homers help boost Pioneers to run-rule win

Box Score

Pitching on his birthday, Jose Urena did everything he could to make sure it was a happy one, and his teammates did their part, too, as the Wayland Baptist Pioneers rolled to a 15-1 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Wednesday evening at Wilder Field.
 
Urena threw five-plus solid innings and the Pioneers erupted for 16 hits – including four home runs, two by Josh Alexander – as Wayland (21-12) bounced back from an 11-0 shutout loss to Lubbock Christian a day earlier.
 
The Pioneers, who this week received votes for the first time this season in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, took advantage of a strong wind blowing out to right field, especially on home runs by Gaby De La Cruz and Lorenzo Soriano.
 
De La Cruz, who was third in the NAIA in home runs going into the game with nine, hit his 10^th to right-center on the first pitch after Alexander belted a two-out blast off the light post in left-center field to get the scoring going as part of a four-run first. A double by Kyle Herrington and a single by Austin Davis scored the other two runs that frame.
 
After an RBI-single by Herrington in the third, Alexander hit his sixth round-tripper – a two-run shot – in the fourth to centerfield, making it 7-1.
 
Soriano, who leads the Pioneers in hitting (.389), used the wind to lift his second homer of the season to right field to lead off Wayland's most explosive inning, a six-run fifth. Catcher Skyler Wood drove in a run, as did Will Bass with a hustle double to left-center. A single by Aaron Vallance made it 11-1, then De La Cruz delivered a two-run single up the middle for a 13-1 advantage.
 
Wayland wrapped up the scoring in the sixth when Kyle Herrington, who walked, scored on a passed ball and pinch-hitter Josh Vera, who singled, scored on another RBI-groundout by Wood.
 
Alexander and Soriano ended with three hits apiece, while Alexander and De La Cruz had three RBIs each. Alexander also scored three times.
Urena (2-2) went 5 2/3 innings, giving up just one run in the first inning. He allowed five hits and walked two. Logan Evans got the final out of the sixth before Michael Cowan came in to finish it up in the seventh, striking out two and ensuring that the game ended early on the 10-run rule.
 
Wayland's defense played error-free and turned a couple of nice double-plays, including one in the fourth inning that saw second baseman Bass grab a grounder up the middle and pass the ball around his back to Vallance. After getting the force at second, Vallance's throw to first was deftly picked by Herrington.
 
OPSU fell to 3-24.
 
Wayland – which at 8-1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference is tied for second place with Oklahoma City University, a half-game behind top-ranked Oklahoma Baptist – takes Thursday off before returning to conference play this weekend in Oklahoma City against Mid-America Christian (14-13-1, 3-4). Thus far in league play, MACU has lost twice to Science and Arts of Oklahoma, split with Texas Wesleyan, and won two of three against Southwestern Assemblies of God. The Evangels on Tuesday defeated Southern Nazarene, 10-1, and lost to Friends University, 10-4.