Box Score
HUTCHINSON, Kan. – University of Science and Arts pitchers Jordan Watson and Cesar Figuereo did it to Wayland Baptist again.
After striking out 18 in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament championship game, Watson and Figuereo combined for 16 Ks here Wednesday afternoon as the 11
th-ranked Drovers shut out the No. 23 Pioneers, 3-0, in the second round of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round.
"I've never figured out a way to win without scoring a run," Wayland coach
Brad Bass said.
The loss drops Wayland (45-16) into an elimination game at 11 a.m. Thursday against the winner of a Wednesday night game between Morningside (Iowa) and host Tabor (Kan.). The Pioneers won their opening game over Tabor on Tuesday, 4-2. Tabor defeated Mayville State (N.D.) earlier Wednesday in an elimination game, 4-3.
Thursday's winner advances to the championship to face unbeaten USAO (47-11) at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, hoping to win that game and force a winner-take-all contest against the Drovers at noon Friday for the right to advance to the Avista-NAIA Baseball College World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.
Unlike in the SAC Tournament championship game when Wayland put up two first-inning runs against USAO's Watson, the Pioneers never figured out the junior left-hander from Moore, Okla., on Wednesday as the Pioneers were blanked for just the third time all season.
"We've scored three runs off of him in three games," Bass said of Watson. "He's getting better every time we face him."
Watson (10-2) now has 161 strikeouts for the season.
"He's good…he's really good," Bass said.
Wayland didn't advance a runner to third base and only twice reached second. The first was on a double by
Caleb Davidson in the second inning and the other in the third when
Austin Davis walked and advanced on a sacrifice bunt.
Davidson and
Will Bass, who led off the game with a bunt single, each got two of the five hits off Watson, but the Pioneers never mounted a serious scoring threat. The Pioneers left five runners on base.
The fireball-throwing Figuereo picked up his 11
th save by striking out the side in the ninth, interrupted by a one-out single by Doyle.
Wayland senior
Tyler Adams (9-2) made his first appearance on the mound in almost a month due to a shoulder injury and pitched a solid game, surrendering three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three.
"Adams pitched well, Watson just pitched a little better," Bass said.
Jonathan Frost threw the final 3 2/3 and allowed just one hit while striking out one and walking none.
"We played well. We just have to figure out how to score some runs against those guys," Bass said.
The coach said he would like one – make that two – more cracks at USAO. But even though the Pioneers won't have to worry about Watson – assuming Wayland wins Thursday morning and faces the Drovers again – Bass said it won't easy.
"Their third guy is really good, too," Bass said of Allan Sanchez (12-1), who pitched USAO to a 12-2 win over Wayland in Plainview during the regular season, striking out 10 and allowing six hits in seven innings.
Bass said Wayland will pitch sophomore
Jordie Henry (9-3) in Thursday's first game and, if Wayland wins that one,
Mason Taylor (4-4) against USAO.
Bass remains confident in his team, trying to advance to the World Series for the first time in program history.
"We're going to pitch well and we'll scratch out some runs," he said.
