Wayland Baptist and Peru State played another down-to-the-wire nail-biter Sunday afternoon at Wilder Field, and again it was the Bobcats who prevailed in part by virtue of a ninth-inning wild pitch, 9-8.
After seven combined first-inning runs, the scoring pace slowed considerably until the eighth when both teams plated two apiece. The Bobcats scored theirs on a home run followed by a triple and RBI-single. The Pioneers answered when
Dawin Santos drew a two-out walk and junior right-fielder
Jacob Adams followed with a clutch game-tying homer to left.
In the ninth, Peru State got its lead-off hitter, freshman second baseman Darrien Liriano, on base with a single to center. A sacrifice bunt and groundout to lefty reliever
Andrew Manier (0-1) moved Liriano to third where he scored easily on a wild pitch.
Wayland also got its lead-off runner on in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a throwing error by the Bobcat third baseman. But he was retired on a 4-6-3 double-play before a fly-out to right ended it.
Peru State (3-5) wound up winning the series, which was delayed a day by weather and reduced to three games due to traveling concerns. The Bobcats also won a dramatic series opener on Saturday, 8-7, by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh. Wayland (11-4) won game 2, 7-1.
On Sunday, Wayland kept it close despite being outhit, 13-6. Half of Wayland's six hits were homers: a three-run blast by Santos in the first, a solo shot by
Brendon Foust in the fifth, and Adams' two-run poke in the eighth.
Wayland's other runs were plated on a first-inning RBI-single by
Austin Moya and in the third when Moya scored on a passed ball.
Jose Suero started for the Pioneers, lasting five innings and allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
Ty Jackson relieved and went three innings, surrendering two earned runs on four hits with a strikeout.
Four Bobcat pitchers, including senior Manual Caballero who started at first before throwing the final 1 1/3, combined to allow eight earned runs on the six hits with seven walks and five Ks.
The game ended Wayland's season-opening 15-game home-stand as the Pioneers play their first road game at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Hobbs, N.M., against University of the Southwest (4-8). WBU returns to Wilder for a pair of doubleheaders against Sterling (Kan.) (5-4) at 2 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.
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