Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 VICTORIA – Wayland Baptist scored all of the runs it needed all day in the first inning of the first game as the Pioneers swept Houston-Victoria on the strength of a pair of solid pitching performances here Sunday afternoon, winning 14-0 in seven innings and 4-1 in nine. The sweep followed a season-opening split on Saturday that saw Wayland score three runs in the final inning to defeat the Jaguars, 8-6, before the Pioneers dropped the second game, 8-5.
The Pioneers (3-1), ranked the equivalent of 40
th in the NAIA, make their home debut at noon Friday in a doubleheader against McMurry. Wayland then travels to Abilene to face the War Hawks in another doubleheader at noon Sunday.
Against Houston-Victoria (1-3), which also made its season debut this weekend, pitcher
Mason Taylor was the star of Sunday's first game, giving up just one hit in six innings while striking out seven and walking one. The lone hit off the junior right-hander from Weatherford was a two-out triple in the second inning. Taylor struck out the next batter to get out of the inning unscathed.
Taylor left after the sixth having thrown 72 pitches, relieved by
Kevin Torres who got the Jaguars out three-up, three-down on a line drive to third, a ground-out to short, and a fly-out to left.
Wayland scored all the runs it needed in the first when the game's first two batters,
Will Bass and
Aaron Vallance, had bunt singles. A sacrifice bunt by
Gregg Veneklasen was followed by a two-run single to right-center by
Jake Doyle.
The Pioneers added three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings then hung six on the board in the seventh.
Wayland ended with 13 hits as Veneklasen went 3-for-3, including a three-run home run in the sixth, and two runs scored. Bass, Vallance and Doyle had two hits apiece with Bass and Vallance scoring three runs each, while
Ernesto Lizardi recorded four RBI.
In game 2,
Jordie Henry, a sophomore from Amarillo (Randall High School), picked up where the game 1 pitchers left off. The sophomore right-hander gave up just two hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out five with a single walk. Henry left the game after that lone walk in the bottom of the seventh, giving way to
Paxton Bartley who gave up a walk and sacrifice fly that accounted for Houston-Victoria's lone run of the day.
Logan Evans took over to start the ninth inning and promptly ended the game a line-out to center, a ground-out to second, and a fly-out to right, earning his second save of the young season.
The Pioneers pounded out 11 hits this game, again led by Vallance's and Veneklasen's three-hit efforts.
Brayden Blackwell had two hits while Doyle had a pair of RBI. Veneklasen and Grady Taylor also had an RBI apiece.
Just like in the first game, Wayland's two runs in the first proved to be enough to win it. This time, a triple to left-center by Veneklasen scored Vallance, who singled, then Doyle drove in Veneklasen with a single through the hole at shortstop.
The Pioneers put up insurance runs in the fourth and seventh to take a 4-0 lead, prior to the Jags' scoring their lone run of the day.
Veneklasen, a sophomore from Amarillo (Canyon High School) who sat out the last two seasons following a solid freshman campaign with Wayland, ended the opening weekend going 9-for-15 at the plate (.600) with six runs scored and six RBI.
