Pioneers split thrilling season-opening doubleheader vs. MidAmerica Nazarene

Gregory Ozuna hit a walk-off home run in the opener then was set up to do it again in game 2 before coming up short as Wayland Baptist split an edge-of-your-seat, season-opening doubleheader with No. 25 MidAmerica Nazarene on Friday at Wilder Field. The home run-happy WBU Pioneers won the first game, 7-6, before the visiting MNU Pioneers took game 2, 5-4.

In the first game, Wayland, ranked the equivalent of 35th in the NAIA, scored the first run of the season in the bottom of the first when Luis Vargas, last year's NAIA home run leader, picked up where he left off last spring with a blast to near straightaway centerfield over the green monster.

MNU came up with four runs – three on a homer by catcher Joshuan Sandoval – in the third before Wayland tied it on catcher Jake Green's 3-run homer to left.

MNU put up a run in both the sixth and seventh to lead it 6-4 going into the seventh. Wayland came through in the clutch, first on a lead-off double to left-center by Daniel Goncalves. After Adams grounded out to first, Gerrit Deatherage walked to bring up lead-off hitter Ozuna.

Wayland's all-conference shortstop delivered on a 1-1 pitch that the senior sent over the left-field fence for the walk-off.

Tanner Solomon started the game on the mound for Wayland, giving up four runs on two hits and striking out four in four innings. Ty Jackson then threw into the seventh, allowing two runs on six hits, before Chase Jones came on to get the final two outs and earn the win.

The win gave coach Brad Bass, in his 26^th season, his 996^th career victory.

Bass came close to pulling out 997 in the nightcap as the two Pioneer teams played another down-to-the-wire thriller.

MNU did all of its scoring with two runs in the third and three in the fourth to assume a 5-0 advantage. Three of the runs were unearned.

Wayland's comeback began in the fourth when Vargas led off and again recorded the home team's first run when he parked a ball on top of Hutcherson Center in left-center.

WBU picked up two more runs in the fifth when Ozuna followed Goncalves' lead-off double with a two-out homer. It would have been a three-run shot but MNU centerfielder Ryan Leo threw out Goncalves at home following Adams' single.

MNU threatened to add to its lead in the seventh when it got a pair of runners on with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt and intentional walk, Wayland turned a 6-4-3 double-play – Ozuna to Carlos Collazo to Dawin Santos – to get out of the jam and head to the seventh trailing 5-3.

Things started off right when Green came up with a full-count double to left-center. Goncalves' single advanced courtesy runner Tristan Galbreath to third. After Adams lined out to high-leaping shortstop Austin Healy, Deatherage knocked in Galbreath on a fielder's choice that retired Goncalves.

Things seemed to be unraveling for MNU when an error sent Deatherage to second and an eventual error on a controversial play kept the game alive. The controvery came when Ozuna lined a ball back at starting pitcher Jhon Vargas. After making the stab, Vargas fumbled the ball as he celebrated what he thought was the game-ending out, but the umpires – after a lengthy discussion – ruled a drop, allowing Deatherage to get to third after Ozuna outran Vargas to first base.

Two pitches later, the game ended unceremoniously when Collazo flied out to Leo in centerfield.

Jose Suero took the loss, surrendering four runs (2 earned) on just one hit with three strikeouts and a pair of walks in three innings. Gloymer Cuevas went the final four frames, allowing just one unearned run on three hits and a pair of walks with four Ks.

Wayland had twice a many hits as MNU, 8 to 4, but was undone by three errors and 10 strikeouts and only one walk recorded by Vargas.

The teams will reassemble for another doubleheader beginning at noon Saturday when winds are expected to be 40 mph and higher.

(NOTE: Before the game, Clinton Wall and Shayla Tipton Whalen threw out ceremonial first pitches, in part in honor of Clinton's dad, T.C., and Shayla's father, Emmitt, both longtime supporters of WBU baseball who died in the past year. T.C. and Emmitt both are honored with baseball-shaped signs in right field).