FORT WORTH – Wayland Baptist will be looking to battle its way back into first place in the Sooner Athletic Conference baseball standings after dropping the first two games of a 3-game series with No. 21 Texas Wesleyan here Friday afternoon, 10-2 and 10-9.
The first back-to-back losses of the season for the Pioneers, ranked the equivalent of 32
nd in the NAIA, leave Wayland with a 15-6 overall record and 5-2 mark in league play. The Rams improved to 24-4 and 7-1 to take over the top position in the conference.
Game 3 begins at noon Saturday.
After suffering their most-lopsided loss of the season in game 1, the Pioneers were in a heap of trouble in game 2 after giving up six runs in the bottom of the first. But Wayland – fueled by
Jonathan Ottenwalder's 3-run home run (his second blast of the day) and RBI-singles by
Dawin Santos and
Jake Green – tied it up with a six-run third then took a 9-7 lead with a three-run fifth, when Ottenwalder drew a bases-loaded walk and
Gregory Ozuna plated two with a single to center.
Texas Wesleyan, which was coming off a 9-6 loss to Oklahoma-Panhandle State, battled back and took the lead by scoring a single run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
In Wayland's final at-bat, SAC Player of the Week
Brendon Foust managed a one-out, pinch-hit single, but advanced no further than first as the Rams got Ottenwalder to fly to center and
Paxton Covel to strike out.
Wayland committed four errors, although all but one of the Rams' runs went down as earned. The lone unearned run was the game-winner.
The Pioneers ended with nine hits, three by Ozuna who ended with two RBIs. Ottenwalder produced four RBIs, and
Yaniel Vargas – back in the lineup for the first time in a month – scored twice.
Andrew Manier had a rough start, allowing six runs on four hits while walking two in just two-thirds of an inning.
Irving Munoz threw the next 3 ½, giving up just one run on three hits with three Ks and one walk, before
Chris Lacher gave up two earned run on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks over the last two innings.
The Rams totaled 11 hits and committed one error.
In the opener, the day got off to a promising start when Wayland's first four batter drew walks, eliciting a pitching change after walk No. 3. But the Pioneers left the bases loaded after plating one with a two strikeouts and a pop-out to third.
The Pioneers got just one more run the rest of the game, in the fifth when Ottenwalder delivered a one-out, solo homer to left.
The Rams scored twice in the second and twice in the sixth, but their big inning was the fourth when they tallied six runs on five hits and an error.
Lead-off man Ottenwalder managed two of Wayland's three hits and scored both runs.
After relieving the Rams' start after the three game-opening walks, Texas Wesleyan junior Josh Brown (3-1) lasted five innings, allowing one run, two hits and two walks while striking out eight. Senior Parker Robinson fanned three more Pioneers in his two innings of work.
Wayland's
Tanner Solomon suffered his first loss of the season after four wins. In 3 1/3 , the sophomore allowed six runs on six hits while striking out four.
