Wayland Baptist exploded for 14 runs – half of them in one inning – as the Pioneers defeated MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in the finale of a four-game series Saturday afternoon at Wilder Field, 14-8. WBU was edged in Saturday's first game, 5-4, as the teams split the series.
The series split – started with a 9-7 MNU victory then an 11-5 WBU win on Friday – improved Wayland's record to 10-2. It was the first action of the season for MNU (2-2), which came to Plainview having only practiced indoors due to a snow practice field in Kansas.
The finale saw Wayland match its season-high for runs, first accomplished in a 14-10 win over York, Neb., in the season-opener. Seven of those came in the second inning, an immediate answer after MNU scored six in the top of the inning to take an 8-1 lead. Wayland's explosion featured a pair of two-RBI singles by catcher
Derek Farmer and
Luis Vargas followed by a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double by
Brendon Foust.
As impressive as that was, maybe even more were the back-to-back-back home runs to open the fourth by
Marco Rivera, Foust and
Dawin Santos. Those jacks gave the Pioneers a 13-8 lead. Wayland's final run was an NAIA-leading 10
th homer by
Luis Vargas, who also homered in the first game after his second three-homer game of the season Friday.
The offensive outburst got starter
Kyle Eifert off the hook after MNU reached him for six runs on six hits in 1 1/3 innings. Junior
Gloymer Cuevas, a first-year transfer from the Dominican Republic, was sensational in relief, allowing just one earned run on six hits and one walk while striking out seven in 5 2/3.
Three of Wayland's 13 hits were courtesy of
Gregory Ozuna, who hit the first of Wayland's five homers plus had a double while scoring three runs. Foust finished with a team-high four RBIs.
In the opener, MNU owned a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the third when Wayland tied it up with an RBI-double by Ozuna and Ozuna's two-run homer. After MNU regained the lead with a run in the fourth, WBU answered with a solo homer by catcher
Jake Green.
Wayland was threatening in the fifth, when Vargas was intentionally walked, with a runner on third and one out. But MNU pulled off the hidden ball trick when the third baseman kept the ball while attempting to double-up the runner after a flyout to left. He then tagged out the unsuspecting runner when he began his lead-off.
After both teams went three-up, three-down in the sixth, MNU led off the seventh with a pinch-hit single. That prompted reliever
Deric Trevino to step in for WBU starter
Jose Suero, who struck out six and allowed six hits in his six innings of work. After a sacrifice bunt, Trevino fanned the next batter on three pitches for the second out, but MNU got a single through the right side of the Wayland infield to score the winning run from second.
In the bottom of the seventh, Green led off with a shot that glanced off the MNU third baseman and into the hands of the shortstop, who threw out Green at first.
Ramon Cruz then reached on a two-base throwing error by the third baseman to bring up the top of the WBU batting order. But MNU struck out the next Pioneer before the MNU first baseman made a nice grab of a foul pop-up near the WBU dugout to end the game.
Rivera provided two of Wayland's five hits
Wayland's season-opening 18-game home stand is set to continue Tuesday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader against New Mexico Highlands, although those games could be in jeopardy with cold, wet weather in the forecast.
