McPHERSON, Kan. –
Dawin Santos and
Jake Green had four hits each, and Wayland Baptist slapped five home runs as the Pioneers won the third game of a Sooner Athletic Conference series against Central Christian here Sunday afternoon, 18-8.
The win, secured in seven innings on the 10-run mercy rule, gave Wayland the series, 2-1. The Pioneers lost the opener Saturday, 2-1, before storming back in game two to win, 19-5. The series was pushed back a day due to wet grounds.
On Sunday, the Pioneers (16-12, 4-2 SAC) fell behind in the first inning, 5-1, against WBU starting pitcher
Jose Suero. But Suero got it back and went on to record 11 strikeouts in his four innings.
Deric Trevino wound up with the win when the Pioneers, after a five-run fourth helped tie it 6-all, broke it open with five more in the sixth and seven in the seventh.
Nine Pioneers were responsible for 19 hits, with Santos and Green – hitting fifth and sixth in the order, respectively – leading the charge with their combined eight hits, both on 4-for-5 performances. Santos had a home run and a double with two RBIs and three runs scored, while Green got a double with courtesy runner
Justin Porter scoring three runs.
In addition to Santos,
Marco Rivera,
Carlos Collazo,
Daniel Goncalves and
Luis Vargas also homered, with Vargas and Rivera going deep back-to-back in the seventh. Goncalves also homered in the seventh, and his first career four-bagger was a grand slam.
Vargas homered for the third time in two games and upped his season total to 13, two behind NAIA leader Gary Mattis of Tennessee Wesleyan. Rivera has a dozen dingers and is tied for third.
Besides five home runs, Wayland also got five doubles, with Rivera, Goncalves and Adams logging two-baggers in addition to Santos and Green.
Wayland's seven-run seventh made for an 18-6 lead. The Tigers (5-16-1, 2-7 SAC) scored twice in the bottom of the inning, prompting the Pioneers to bring in
Ty Jackson for the final two outs – the first on a pickoff and the last on a looking strikeout.
Wayland's next outing is Tuesday again against University of the Southwest (N.M.). The Pioneers and Mustangs were originally scheduled to play a doubleheader but the teams instead will play a single, nine-inning game beginning at 2 p.m.
Tuesday's contest will be the seventh meeting between WBU and USW this season. The teams split home-and-home doubleheaders on March 6 and 7 before the Mustangs swept a doubleheader in Hobbs last Tuesday, 7-2 and 8-2.
