Box Score Box Score CHICKASHA, Okla. – The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma limited Wayland Baptist to one run for the third straight game as the Drovers recorded 17 strikeouts and a pair of three-run home runs here Saturday afternoon for an 8-1 Sooner Athletic Conference victory.
On Friday, Wayland (27-18, 11-7), which received three votes in the latest NAIA Coaches Top 25 Poll, fell to USAO (27-13, 10-7) by scores of 3-1 and 5-1. The losses narrowed Wayland's hold on the third-place position in the SAC standings by just a half-game over USAO, which has won 13 straight games, and a game over Texas Wesleyan (17-19, 9-7), which has dropped two of three games to No. 7 Oklahoma Baptist so far this weekend, 5-1 and 2-0.
On Saturday, the Drovers got another exceptional pitching performance, this one from Alsis Herrera, a junior left-hander from the Dominican Republic who in eight innings struck out 16 Wayland batters. Herrera allowed three hits and issued two walks.
Wayland's lone run came in the eighth inning, after the Drovers were already ahead 8-0 after scoring twice in the second and six runs in the fifth. Herrera walked pinch-hitter
Brayden Blackwell and hit pinch-hitter
Chris Buitron before another pinch-hitter,
Kyle Herrington, got off an RBI-single to center field.
Herrera buckled down after that, however, striking out the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Wayland batters, all swinging.
Brad Smith relieved Herrera to start the ninth. After
Gaby De La Cruz walked,
Ernesto Lizardi flied out to center,
Austin Davis struck out, and
Dillan Vigil grounded out to end the game.
Josh Alexander (2-1) suffered his first collegiate loss, giving up eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Logan Evans went three innings, allowing two hits with three Ks, before
Joey DiCarlo got the final out.
The Drovers scored all of their runs with two outs.
The first two came in the third inning on a walk, one hit, and back-to-back errors on the Pioneers.
USAO earned its six runs in the fifth, thanks to a a pair of three-run homers. The first was by third baseman Rafael Pena, his fourth of the season, followed by another from shortstop Nick Johnson, his third. In all, the Drovers tallied five of their nine hits in the fifth.
This series marked the final road games of the regular-season for Wayland, which takes a two-week break from SAC play. The Pioneers are next in action against McMurry in a pair of doubleheaders starting at 3 p.m. Friday, April 17 and 1 p.m. April 18. After hosting West Texas A&M in a single game April 21, WBU wraps up the regular season with a three-game series against Texas Wesleyan April 24 and 25.
