OCU overcomes Vargas' record-tying day

Luis Vargas tied two school records for home runs, but it still wasn't enough to help Wayland Baptist get past the Oklahoma City Stars on Sunday afternoon at Wilder Field.

Vargas' three home runs Sunday gave him 24 for the season, but OCU – ranked the equivalent of 27^th in the NAIA – still was able to complete a three-game Sooner Athletic Conference sweep of the Pioneers, winning 12-9. That followed a pair of identical 12-3 victories by the Stars on Saturday.

The setbacks put a damper on Wayland's final home games of the season and left the Pioneers with a .500 season record at 22-22. WBU fell to 6-12 in the SAC, where the 'Neers have dropped their last nine outings to three top teams. OCU, meanwhile, moved into first place in the league standings this weekend at 16-2; the Stars – winners of their last seven straight – are 26-12 overall.

Vargas, on pace to repeat as NAIA home runs leader, delivered a pair of solo home runs in the first and eighth innings and a three-run shot in the seventh, in addition to a two-RBI single in the fifth. His three home runs matched a program record accomplished by numerous Pioneers, most recently by Kevin Hennessey in 2010.

Vargas also tied Hennessey's record for most homers in a season at 24. Vargas has three regular-season games next weekend at Mid-America Christian – plus the post-season – to claim the record all to himself.
 
Vargas' seven RBIs on the day (the school record is nine) gave Wayland a chance against the powerful Stars, who also had a superstar on their roster in the form of Dalton Reed. The first baseman went 4-for-5, including a homer and a triple, and ended with eight RBIs.

As a team OCU had three homers among its 15 hits. For the three-game series, the hot-hitting Stars finished with 53 hits, including a dozen homers.

The visitors were on their way to a third blowout win, up 7-1 after 4½ innings. But the Pioneers cut into the lead with a three-run fifth inning when Daniel Goncalves homered before Vargas' two-RBI single.

OCU got all three runs back in the sixth when Reed came up with a bases-loaded triple.

Wayland got back in it again in the seventh when Vargas sent out a three-run homer before a bases-loaded walk to Goncalves, making it a two-run game at 10-8. True to form, however, OCU responded in its next at-bat when Reed delivered a two-run single.

Vargas' final homer with two-out in the eighth kept Wayland in it, but the Pioneers were unable to get much of anything going in the ninth, and the Stars went home with the win.

Besides Vargas, getting multiple hits for Wayland were shortstop Gregory Ozuna and third baseman Hayden Ingram, each of whom produced a pair of hits

Both teams used six pitchers apiece, including positions players Marco Rivera and Ozuna for Wayland. The Pioneers' half-dozen pitchers recorded eight strikeouts, while OCU's arms fanned 10. Each team drew four walks.