OKLAHOMA CITY –
Tanner Solomon went the distance on the mound and
Dawin Santos,
Jacob Adams and
Luis Vargas led a balanced offensive effort as Wayland Baptist upset Texas Wesleyan in the opening round of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday afternoon at Jim Wade Stadium.
Solomon allowed eight hits, struck out six and walked none as the senior right-hander tossed 113 pitches. After allowing two runs in the third and one more in the fourth, Solomon pitched a shutout over the final five frames.
The sixth-seeded Pioneers (25-23) took the lead for good with a three-run third, assuming a 4-2 lead. They got an insurance run in the sixth and two more in the eighth against the third-seeded Rams (27-15), who saw their seven-game winning streak snapped.
Wayland advances to face second-seeded and bracket host Oklahoma City (30-15), which won its opener over Southwestern Assemblies of God University, 20-9 in 6½ innings. The Pioneers and Stars will battle at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the winner advancing to the bracket final on Sunday and the loser to an elimination game at 6 p.m. Saturday against the winner of an elimination game later today between Texas Wesleyan and SAGU.
The survivor on Sunday will face the winner of the bracket in Chickasha, Okla., hosted by top-seeded Science & Arts. The winner-take-all tourney title game is set for 1 p.m. Monday at S&A's Bill Smith Ballpark.
Wayland will be looking for its first win of the season against OCU, which in mid-April swept the Pioneers in a three-game series at Wilder Field, 12-3, 12-3 and 12-9.
Friday's game against TXWES was the first of the season between the Pioneers and Rams, who were supposed to meet in Fort Worth in early March to kick off conference play before the games were cancelled due to COVID-19.
Playing for the first time since ending the regular-season April 26, Wayland produced 11 hits by eight different bats. Santos produced three hits, including an RBI-double in the third, while Adams got two hits.
Five players came up with RBIs, two by Vargas on a triple in the third. Adams scored twice, the only Pioneers to cross home more than once.
Solomon, meanwhile, improved to 3-6 with his fourth complete game of the season, all in his last seven outings.
Texas Wesleyan was hurt by six errors. WBU committed only one miscue.
