WBU wins 2; series ends on sour note

Saturday started with positive news but ended on a sour note for the Wayland Baptist baseball team.
 
Taking on Southwestern Assemblies of God University for its Sooner Athletic Conference debut, the Pioneers pulled out Game 1 on Friday, 6-5. Wayland, ranked the equivalent of 35^th in the NAIA, was ahead in the nightcap, 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning when the contest was suspended due to a second storm delay.
 
The teams left Wilder Field believing they would resume Game 2 at noon Saturday, prior to playing Game 3. But it was determined Saturday morning that Game 2 was considered complete, with action reverting to the last complete inning. As a result, the Pioneers were awarded a 5-2 victory.
 
That was the good news. The bad news occurred in Game 3, when the Pioneers couldn't hold onto a 4-0 lead. SAGU rallied for four tying runs in the eighth then pushed the winning run across in the ninth as the Lions salvaged a 5-4 victory.
 
Things were rolling along nicely for the Pioneers (14-9, 2-1 SAC) in the series finale. Dawin Santos had a pair of RBI-singles and Marco Rivera had an RBI-sacrifice fly and an RBI-double was the Pioneers assumed a 4-0 lead after five.
 
Meanwhile, starting pitcher Kyle Eifert was cruising, allowing just three hits over the first seven innings. But that all changed in the eighth when the Lions (21-8, 3-3) erupted for four runs on four hits and a walk.
 
Then in the ninth, SAGU went ahead by getting back-to-back one-out singles followed by a walk then a sacrifice fly to center by designated hitter Ben Bills that plated the winning run without a throw.
 
The Pioneers managed to get a runner on base in the ninth when Luis Vargas, who went 4-for-5, singled with one out. But SAGU ended it with a game-ending 6-4-3 double-play.
 
In the second game, Wayland got a solo home run by Dawin Santos in the second, a three-RBI double by Vargas in the third, and an RBI sac-fly by Gregory Ozuna in the fourth.
 
Ozuna and Santos were the offensive heroes of the series opener as Ozuna hit a three-run homer in the fourth and Santos an RBI, walkoff single in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Deric Trevino earned the win in Game 2 as he pitched four innings in between a pair of storm delays. Jose Suero started on the mound for Wayland but was not brought back after a near three-hour delay when teams left the field due to lightning and a tornado warning. Trevino allowed one run and just one hit while striking out six and walking three in his four frames.
 
Wayland outhit the Lions, 9-2.
 
The Pioneers return to the diamond Tuesday in Hobbs, N.M., against University of the Southwest before a road trip to McPherson, Kan., to take on Central Christian College in a three-game SAC series Friday and Saturday.