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Box Score 2 VICTORIA – Wayland Baptist came up with a rousing rally to win its season-opener, 8-6, but couldn't do the same in game two as Houston-Victoria prevailed, 8-5, to earn the split here Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers, ranked the equivalent of 40
th in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll, trailed the Jaguars 6-5 going into the top of the seventh inning of the opener. But Wayland scored three clutch runs to kick off the season the right way.
Will Bass got the rally rolling with a one-out single. Fellow junior
Aaron Vallance followed suit with another single before
Gregg Veneklasen walked to load the bases. That brought up clean-up hitter
Jake Doyle, who came through with a single to shortstop that scored Bass.
Catcher
Ernesto Lizardi came up after that and delivered a double to deep left-field to score both Vallance and Veneklasen and gave Wayland the upperhand.
Armed with a one-run lead, senior
Logan Evans took over on the mound and struck out the side for the save. Evans' first five pitches were strikes, and he needed just 13 throws – all but three were strikes – to end it.
Paxton Bartley was credited with the win – benefitting from Wayland's two-run sixth – after relieving starter
Tyler Adams, who lasted five innings, giving up nine hits and four earned runs with four strikeouts and one walk. The Jaguars got a dozen hits.
The Pioneers ended with 11 hits, including three by Bass and two each by Veneklasen, Doyle and Lizardi, who ended with three RBI. Veneklasen and
Brayden Blackwell blasted solo homers to start the fourth and fifth innings, respectively.
In game two, the Jaguars blew open a close game by scoring four runs in the fifth, three on a homer by Dylan Bates and the other on a wild pitch. Wayland battled back from the 7-2 deficit with a run in the sixth and two more in the eighth, but it wasn't enough.
Eight Pioneers combined for 10 hits, two more than Houston-Victoria, with Doyle and newcomer
Alex Mumm getting two each.
Taylor Bridges took the loss after giving up five hits and seven earned runs with five strikeouts and four walks in five innings.
Matt Flores allowed a run in one inning while
Jonathan Frost held the Jags scoreless over six outs.
UHV's Matt Brister and Fernando Pena combined for 11 strikeouts.
The teams hit the field beginning at noon Sunday for another doubleheader.
