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Box Score 2 OKLAHOMA CITY – For the fifth time in the history of the 25-year-old Wayland Baptist baseball program, the Pioneers reached the 40-win plateau after taking both games of a doubleheader against Mid-America Christian here Saturday, 8-4 and 9-1.
Wayland (40-14, 15-8 SAC) got solid pitching performances from
Paxton Bartley and
Logan Evans in the opener before
Jordie Henry tossed a one-hitter in the nightcap, when the Pioneers put up an eight-run second inning. It was the fourth complete game and second one-hitter of the season for Henry (8-3), who struck out eight, one off his season-best.
Other 40-win campaigns for Wayland came in 2000 (40-19), 2004 (40-18), 2008 (43-16-1) and 2009 (43-15).
In Saturday's opener of a series that was delayed 24 hours by the weather, Wayland scored in every inning but the second while Bartley (4-0) held the Evangels scoreless until the sixth when they pushed three runs across, aided in part by the lone error of the day by the Pioneers. Fellow senior Evans came in to put out the fire, however.
Bartley gave up four hits in 5 2/3, walking two and striking out four as he earned his first win in just his second start since March 7. Evans allowed one run on three hits and fanned two in 1 1/3.
Caleb Davidson provided three of Wayland's 10 hits while
Will Bass and
Gregg Veneklasen had two apiece. Veneklasen recorded three RBI, two on his team-high 12
th home run of the season in the third.
In game two, the Pioneers got seven of their nine hits in the eight-run second inning, one of the team's largest inning outputs of the year.
It started with a solo home run to left field by
Jake Doyle.
Alex Mumm, Davidson and
Taylor Grady followed with singles, then catcher
Skyler Wood's sacrifice fly drove in the third run. After a walk by top-of-the-order batter Bass, designated hitter
Brayden Blackwell delivered a two-RBI double to center.
Veneklasen kept it going with a single, and after Blackwell scored on a wild pitch, Doyle came through with an RBI-double to left-center. The eighth run scored on an error by MACU, one of six committed by the Evangels in the doubleheader.
Wayland's final run was a solo shot by Doyle in the seventh, his second round-tripper of the game and sixth of the season. Doyle, who also doubled, finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs.
The Pioneers will try to sweep the series from the Evangels (19-29, 7-16) when they close out the regular-season with a single game at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Wayland, the equivalent of 32
nd in the NAIA, remains tied with Oklahoma City (36-17, 15-8) for fourth place in the SAC, although the Pioneers hold the tie-breaker over the Stars due winning the series with OCU for just the second time in school history last weekend. A win Sunday would tie Wayland with No. 25 Southwestern Christian (39-10, 16-8) for third. The Eagles were swept this weekend by No. 17 Science and Arts of Oklahoma (41-11, 19-5). No. 22 Texas Wesleyan (34-15, 16-5), which stands in second, plays three games this weekend against Southwestern Assemblies of God University (14-37, 4-17).
OCU hosts the SAC Tournament May 6-9. The winner automatically qualifies as one of 45 teams for the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, while non-automatic qualifiers must gain entry with an at-large bid.
The opening round will be held May 17-20 and feature nine, five-team, double-elimination tournaments. The nine opening round champions and World Series host Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) make up the field at the 2016 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series. The event is scheduled to run from May 27-June 3.
