Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY – Wayland Baptist couldn't maintain a 7-1 lead as the Pioneers to Southwestern Christian in the first round of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament here Friday afternoon, 12-8.
The loss sends the fourth-seeded Pioneers (34-18) into an elimination game against No. 8 seed Mid-America Christian (20-34), a 6-0 loser to top-seeded Oklahoma City, at 6 p.m. Friday. The winner advances to another elimination game at 4:30 p.m. Saturday against the loser of Saturday's 1 p.m. game against fifth-ranked OCU (44-5) and fifth-seeded Southwestern Christian (35-17).
Wayland, ranked the equivalent of 35th in the NAIA Top 25, went into the tournament having won 12 of its last 13 games. It appeared the Pioneers would add to that streak as Wayland held a 7-1 lead after four innings.
But Southwestern Christian scored five run in the seventh to take a 9-8 lead, and Wayland couldn't answer as the Pioneers were blanked in their final four at-bats. The Eagles pushed across three insurance runs in the top of the ninth.
Senior Jonathan Frost (3-3) suffered the loss in relief of freshman starter Tanner Solomon, who in 6 1/3 innings allowed seven runs on six hits with seven walks and five strikeouts. Frost recorded just one out, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk, before Carlos Dominguez entered. The freshman was able to stop the bleeding, but only briefly and he left in the ninth having given up three runs on two hits and three walks in 1 2/3. Tristen Hefner recorded the final two outs.
Southwestern Christian ended with a dozen hits against the four WBU pitchers, helping the Eagles overcome three errors. Wayland wound up with nine hits, including three by Matt Flores and two by Yaniel Vargas. Gregg Veneklasen had two RBIs and Devlin Smith scored two runs.
