Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY – It was not the kind of trip to Oklahoma City the Wayland Baptist baseball team was hoping to have. Now the Pioneers hope their season isn't over.
After falling to Southwestern Christian in the first round of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday afternoon, 12-8, Wayland went down to eighth-seeded Mid-America Christian later Friday, 8-7, and bowed out of the tourney on day one.
Wayland got a dramatic two-run single by Matt Flores to tie it in the top of the ninth, but MACU answered with three straight singles in the bottom of the inning to push across the winning run.
The Pioneers (34-19) now must wait for the at-large bids to the NAIA National Championships to be announced later this month to see if their season continues. Opening-round qualifiers and brackets will be announced at 3 p.m. CDT Thursday, May 10 on the NAIA Facebook page.
MACU (21-34), a 6-0 first-round loser to top-seeded and fifth-ranked tournament host Oklahoma City, survives to face the loser of a championship bracket game Saturday between the Stars and Southwestern Christian. Saturday's winners meet on Sunday for the right to face the winner of a four-team bracket playing out at USAO in Monday afternoon's championship.
Against the Evangels, a team that won two of three games over the Pioneers in regular-season play, Wayland committed just one error – a catcher's interference call – compared to MACU's five, but the Pioneers' lone miscue was costly as it led to five unearned runs in the sixth inning. The interference forced in the first run, then the Evangels got a pair of two-RBI hits.
Up until then, Wayland was clinging to a 3-2 lead, having scored all three runs in the second. After lead-off singles by Jonathan Ottenwalder, Matt Flores and Bryan Nunez, the Pioneers got on the board via a wild pitch, walk and catcher's interference, all with the bases loaded.
Wayland got a couple of runs back in the top of the seventh when, after Gregg Veneklasen drew a lead-off walk, Nick Rucker slapped a home run to make it 7-5.
The Pioneers were down to their last out in the ninth when Flores came to the plate with the bases loaded after Veneklasen tripled and Rucker and Ottenwalder both walked. Flores came through on an 0-1 pitch with a single to right-center that plated two to tie it. Nunez was hit by a pitch to again load the bases, but Wayland couldn't take advantage when Derek Farmer went down swinging.
MACU's No. 7-hole hitter led off the bottom of the ninth and promptly singled. The Evangels got a hit out of an intended sacrifice bunt before the top of the order, right-fielder Antonio Dorado, singled through the left-side to drive home the winning run.
Senior Kevin Torres started against MACU and lasted two outs into the sixth when MACU benefited from the lone WBU error. Of the seven runs attributed to Torres, only two were earned. He allowed eight hits while walking nine and striking out six. Chase Jones went the final 2 1/3 and took the loss.
The Pioneers managed seven hits against MACU's Reid Wall and Jake White, who combined for 11 strikeouts and five walks. Flores was the lone Pioneer with multiple hits, going 2-for-5. He and Rucker had two RBIs each, and Veneklasen scored twice.
