Box Score Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY – Wayland Baptist moved into the championship semifinals of the Sooner Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament after defeating second-ranked Oklahoma City University on Saturday evening, 11-9.
The Pioneers (34-21) next play No. 3 Oklahoma Baptist (49-4) at 11 a.m. Sunday, with the winner advancing to the championship at noon Monday. The tourney champion automatically advances to the NAIA National Championships. OBU eliminated USAO earlier Saturday, 5-1, after Wayland topped USAO in Friday's first round, 7-5.
OCU (39-11) will take on Southwestern Christian (24-24), which knocked out Texas Wesleyan, 6-1, at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Bison swept Wayland in their three-game regular-season series in early April, 13-7, 14-1 and 8-4. That started a 19-game winning streak for OBU which the Pioneers will try to end on Sunday.
After Wayland and OCU's regular-season series was rained out, the Pioneers and Stars were squaring off for the first time of the season Saturday. It wasn't the prettiest of contests, with the teams combining for nine errors, but the result was sweet for the Pioneers.
OCU, which stranded 16 runners compared to just four for Wayland, had a pair of four-run innings – the second and the eighth – while the Pioneers played the more steady hand, scoring runs in five of their eight at-bats, including a four-run frame of its own in the fifth.
Ernesto Lizardi,
Ethan Percell and
Brayden Blackwell had two hits apiece for the Pioneers, while
Austin Davis and
Will Bass, who hit a two-run home run (his sixth of the season) in the third inning, were the RBI leaders with two each. Percell scored three runs and courtesy runner
Colton Palmer two.
Joey DiCarlo, who relieved WBU starter
Taylor Bridges in the fourth inning with the Pioneers trailing 4-3, picked up the win to move to 4-0. After Bridges allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits with two strikeouts and five walks, DiCarlo went five innings surrendering five runs on five hits while striking out one and walking four.
Logan Evans earned his second save of the season in the last two days, putting the first two runners on base in the top of the ninth before striking out the next two then ending the game on a fly-out to right.
OCU starter Dustin Cook (7-1) suffered his first loss of the season as the Pioneers scored six runs (four earned) on three hits in 4 1/3. WBU scored its other five runs (three earned) off Grant Hamilton, who allowed seven hits with four Ks in 3 2/3.
The win was just the 11th for Wayland in 79 meetings with OCU, although the Pioneers have won three of the last four.
