SAGU sours Wayland's Senior Day, prevents Pioneer sweep

Box Score After cruising to a pair of wins over Southwestern Assemblies of God University on Thursday, Wayland Baptist found the going a bit tougher when the Pioneers and Lions squared off for game three Friday afternoon at Wilder Field. In fact, SAGU prevented Wayland from sweeping the series as the Lions pulled out a 9-7 victory, effectively putting a damper on the Pioneers' Senior Day.
 
Playing their last regular-season home game of the season, the Pioneers (35-13, 11-7 SAC) led 4-2 going into the fourth inning when the Lions (14-34, 4-14) scored four runs and took the lead for good. Wayland battled the rest of the way, but the Pioneers were never able to regain the upper hand as SAGU fought off every WBU charge with one of its own.
 
Wayland ended with four more hits than SAGU, 14-10, and had one fewer error, 2-1, but the Pioneers stranded 11 runners on base co9mpared to just three for the Lions.
 
Twelve pitchers appeared in the game, six by each team. Lefty Taylor Bridges (7-5) started for Wayland and took the loss, allowing six earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and a walk in 3 1/3 innings.
 
Jacob Keltner (5-5) earned the win, surrendering five runs (three earned) on nine hits with three Ks and a walk in four complete.
 
Carson Conarty picked up his third save, thwarting Wayland's ninth-inning rally attempt that looked promising when Ernesto Lizardi led off with a single. But that's about as far as it went as the Lions retired pinch runner Taylor Grady on a grounder before Conarty struck out the final two WBU batters.
 
Wayland's undoing was the fourth when the Lions scored four of their runs on four singles and a walk, one of just two given up by Pioneer pitchers on the day. SAGU left-fielder Tallon Ralstin homered twice, providing the Lions with their first two runs of the game with a blast in the second and their last run with a solo shot in the eighth.
 
WBU's Will Bass and Brayden Blackwell both went 3-for-5, with Bass recording four RBI. Alex Mumm and Ethan Percell each had a pair of hits, and Percell scored three runs.
 
The win was a big one for SAGU as it broke a tie with Bacone for last place in the league standings. Because the last-place team won't be invited to the SAC Tournament, Friday's win could have earned the Lions a trip to Oklahoma City when the conference tourney is held there May 6-9.
 
Wayland, meanwhile, remained in fifth place in the league standings as the Pioneers prepare to travel to Oklahoma City for their final two SAC series against league-leading and 13^th-ranked OCU (31-12, 12-3) next week then seventh-place Mid-America Christian (16-24, 5-11). Wayland plays at Lubbock Christian in a non-conference game in between the two series April 26.