Pioneers can't hold big lead, fall in 12

Box Score On a cold April Fool's Day afternoon at Wilder Field, Wayland Baptist built a 10-2 lead but couldn't hold onto it as the Pioneers endured a 12-11, 12-inning loss to 15^th-ranked Texas Wesleyan Saturday at Wilder Field.
 
The hard-to-swallow loss – which followed a Friday split with Wesleyan – dropped Wayland to 16-19 on the season and 4-8 in Sooner Athletic Conference play, while the Rams improved to 26-9, 9-3 to remain in second place.
 
Almost everything was going Wayland's way Saturday through the first five innings. The Pioneers exploded for seven runs in the third inning – on a two-RBI triple by Paxton Covel followed by a two-run home run by Gaby DeLaCruz – and were leading by eight runs.
 
Then, one-by-one, the wheels started coming off.
 
The first to go was DeLaCruz, who crashed into the right-field wall trying to bring in a long fly in the top of the sixth. The game was halted for some 30 minutes as emergency personnel arrived and took the senior from Puerto Rico to the local hospital on a stretcher.
 
The Rams posted three straight three-run innings to tie it at 11-all after eight. The tying run scored, unearned, when Wesleyan's Aidan Laurini boarded on a two-out error. Laurini then was picked off first, but he survived in a rundown long enough to allow Kiki Menendez to scoot home from third.
 
Neither team scored in the ninth. In the first two extra innings the Rams went 3-up, 3-down while Wayland got runners into scoring position via two-out singles by Taylor Grady in the 10^th and Will Bass in the 11^th. Both players wound up stealing second before Wesleyan retired the side.
 
In the 12^th, the Rams got pinch hitter CJ Ateek on base with a lead-off double. After a sacrifice bunt, Ateek scored uncontested on a sacrifice fly to left.
 
Wayland again made some noise in the bottom of the inning. After Gregg Veneklasen's hard-hit shot was stabbed by the Rams' left-fielder, catcher Ernesto Lizardi drew a four-pitch walk. Pinch-hitter Alex Mumm struck out on the same pitch pinch runner Juan Ponce stole second, then Taylor Grady – DeLaCruz's replacement in right field – went down swinging to end the almost four-hour game.
 
The Pioneers produced 19 hits – six more than the Rams.
 
Junior Kevin Torres (4-2) – who appeared in all three games this weekend, including earning a win Friday – took the loss, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits with a strikeout and no walks in 4 2/3 innings. Freshman Kyle Eifert started for WBU, lasting 6 1/3 and giving up seven runs on 10 hits with two Ks and two walks. Sophomore Nicholas Moore and freshman Collin Isbell both struggled in between Eifert and Torres, combining for five walks that led to three runs (two earned) over one inning.
 
Lizardi and designated hitter Covel had three hits and two RBI each, while six Pioneers – Will Bass, Veneklasen, Grady, DeLaCruz, Rios and Caleb Davidson – had two hits each. DeLaCruz recorded a team-high three RBI while Veneklasen and Davidson scored twice each.
 
Wayland stranded 13 runners; Texas Wesleyan nine.
 
The Pioneers play their final regular-season road series next weekend against Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie. The Lions (13-23, 4-8) and Pioneers currently are tied for next-to-last place in the SAC standings, ahead of Bacone. SAGU, which swept Bacone and beat Mid-America Christian once for its four conference wins, dropped three to road games to Southwestern Christian this weekend.
 
After the SAGU series, Wayland plays its final 10 regular-season games at home, starting with second-ranked Oklahoma City University on April 13 and 14.