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Box Score 2 They kept the eighth-ranked Science & Arts of Oklahoma Drovers on their toes, but No. 23 Wayland Baptist couldn't quite pull off an upset Thursday at Wilder Field as the Pioneers dropped a Sooner Athletic Conference doubleheader, 9-5 and 8-6.
Wayland (16-8, 9-8 SAC) will try again in the third and final game of the series against USAO (26-4, 13-1) at noon Friday.
Playing a day early due to Easter, the Pioneers and Drovers enjoyed ideal weather for Thursday's doubleheader.
In the opener, USAO took a 5-0 lead after 2½ innings against WBU senior starter Kevin Torres. The Pioneers battled back and got a run in the third on Bryan Nunez's home run and two more in the fourth on Matt Flores' two-run homer to make it 5-3, but the Drovers plated two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings – the last two on homers – to make it 9-3.
Wayland got another rally cooking in the sixth when Nick Rucker walked and Brendon Foust and Flores hit back-to-back, one-out singles before Devlin Smith delivered a bases-loaded, two-RBI double down the left-field line. The next two Pioneers to the plate grounded to third and then to the pitcher.
Angel Reyes took over pitching duties in the seventh and retired the Pioneers in order to end it.
In losing his third straight start, Torres (3-3) gave up seven runs (six earned) on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Jonathan Frost allowed a run on a hit and two walks in 2/3 of an inning before Tanner Solomon finished with the final two frames, surrendering the final run and a hit with two walks and on K.
Tucker White (4-0) got the win, giving up five runs on seven hits while striking out six and walking one.
Wayland outhit the Drovers, 9-8, and committed one error to USAO's two.
The Pioneers also outhit USAO by one in game two, 11-10. Wayland did commit four errors, although they cost only one run.
All but one run was scored in the first two innings.
USAO put up three in the top of the first off Wayland freshman starter Bradden Kennard, but the Pioneers came right back with four of their own in the bottom. Half of those resulted on Gregg Veneklasen's NAIA-leading 15th homer, while the other two came on an RBI-single by Austin Moya and an RBI-double by Flores.
The Drovers copied those four runs in the top of the second, the big hit coming on a two-out, two-RBI double by designated hitter Coleton Horner.
Wayland managed to get two runs back in the bottom when Veneklasen came through with a two-on triple down the left-field line. Unfortunately, the Pioneers couldn't get the tying run home after a strikeout and ground-out to third.
USAO starter Francis Ventura (6-0) allowed only one baserunner the next three innings, while Chris Lacher took over pitching duties for the Pioneers the next 3 2/3 and gave up just one run on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
The Pioneers got the lead-off hitter on base their final two at-bats – a double by Flores in the sixth and a single by Moya in the seventh – but couldn't do anything more.
Yaniel Vargas, Moya, Veneklasen, Rucker and Flores had two hits each to account for all but one of WBU's 11 hits. Flores, the senior shortstop, ended the day 5-for-6 with three RBIs while junior second baseman Vargas was 4-for-7.
