CHICKASHA, Okla. – No. 15 Science & Arts of Oklahoma proved worth of its national ranking this weekend as the Drovers swept Wayland Baptist in a three-game Sooner Athletic Conference series. USAO won Friday, 2-1 and 13-0, then completed the series Saturday afternoon with a 14-4, 7-inning win.
USAO's pitchers proved superior during the series, limiting Wayland (19-16, 6-6 SAC) to 10 hits over the three games. That included an impressive 15-strikeout no-hitter in game two by Ricardo Velez (4-2), which came on the heels of a seven-strikeout, three-hitter in the opener by Colton Williams (7-0), who extended his NAIA record by logging his 28
th consecutive victory. On Saturday the Pioneers managed seven hits off Jean Muntaner and Drew Shaver, but they also combined for 11 strikeouts as the Drovers improved to 20-7 overall and 10-2 in the conference.
By far the best game of the weekend was the opener, which saw single runs scored in the final three innings as USAO won it, 2-1.
The contest was a pitcher's duel between Williams and Wayland's
Tanner Solomon. Solomon held his own, allowing seven hits and recording seven strikeouts with no walks in 6 2/3 innings.
USAO scored its first run in the fifth as a result of a dropped fly that should have ended the inning. Wayland got the run back in the sixth, thanks in part to a passed ball on a strikeout.
Luis Vargas' single advanced
Carlos Collazo to third then
Marco Rivera's sacrifice fly scored him.
The Drovers won it in the bottom of the seventh when Brock Henderson led off with a single to shallow left. A sacrifice bunt moved him to second, then after Solomon struck out the next batter for out number two, an RBI-single to shallow center by Gage Gaunt scored Henderson from second to win it for the Drovers.
Besides the single by Vargas, Wayland's other hits were singles by
Gregory Ozuna and Collazo.
In the other two games, USAO benefited from big innings in both. In game 2, the no-hitter, the Drovers scored eight runs in the fourth and went on to win, 13-0.
Kyle Eifert took the loss.
On Saturday, USAO led just 1-0 before scoring seven runs in the third. Wayland immediately responded with a three-run fourth, but USAO put up two of its own in the bottom of that frame then answered the Pioneers' one run in the fifth with four to complete the scoring.
Needing a run to extend the game in the top of the seventh, Wayland had runners on second and third after
Jake Green walked and
Jacob Adams doubled, but USAO struck out the next two batters to end it on the 10-run rule.
Wayland will look to return to its winning ways Tuesday when the Pioneers host McMurry in a nine-inning, non-conference game starting at 2 p.m. at Wilder Field. WBU defeated the War Hawks when they met in Abilene on March 2, 21-8.
Then it's back on the road and back to SAC play next weekend when the Pioneers travel to Bethany, Okla., to take on first-place Southwestern Christian (28-4, 9-1), ranked the equivalent of 31
st in the NAIA. That proceeds a home series against third-place Oklahoma City (18-11, 9-2), ranked the equivalent of 28
th.
