OKLAHOMA CITY – Wayland Baptist trailed 8-0 after two innings, but slowly worked their way all the way until
Gregory Ozuna hit a two-out, two-run home run in the ninth inning to give Wayland a 14-12 victory over No. 21 Oklahoma City on the second day of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The win sends sixth-seeded Wayland (26-23) into the final of the OCU bracket at 2 p.m. Sunday against the winner between the second-seeded Stars (30-16) and Southwestern Assemblies of God University (29-26), which met in an elimination game at 6 p.m. Saturday.
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Wayland only needs to win once Sunday to move onto the tourney championship game at 1 p.m. Monday against the winner of the Science & Arts of Oklahoma bracket. The top-seeded host Drovers (32-10) are the likely opponent as they have advanced to Sunday's game unbeaten with wins over Oklahoma-Panhandle State, 16-5, and Mid-America Christian, 14-1.
Wayland was looking for its first win of the season against the Stars, who swept the Pioneers when they met earlier this season at Wilder Field. A WBU victory didn't look likely when the Stars scored seven first-inning runs on the strength of eight hits, including two home runs.
OCU made it 8-0 in the second, but Wayland showed it wasn't going away in the third with the first of its two five-run innings. Third baseman
Hayden Ingram, the No. 9-hole hitter, and Ozuna led off with back-to-back singles before
Carlos Collazo's two-RBI double. After a two-out double by
Dawin Santos scored Collazo, catcher
Jake Green smacked a two-run home run to make it a more manageable 8-5.
The Stars put up two runs in the fifth, but once again Wayland had an immediate answer with another five-run frame in the sixth. Green led off with a single,
Daniel Goncalves walked and Ingram singled to load the bases. After a sacrifice fly by Ozuna, Collazo's single through the hole at short scored another, leading to a three-run home run by
Luis Vargas. It was the NAIA-leading 29
th homer of the year for Vargas, who took out his frustrations from two previous strikeouts.
Now trailing just 11-10, Wayland – without a hit – tied it in the eighth. Ingram once again got on base via a lead-off walk, Collazo was hit by a pitch and Vargas intentionally walked with one out. The Stars got a force-out at home for out No. 2, but an error on Santos's grounder allowed the tying run to score.
OCU regained the upperhand in the bottom of the eighth when Bryson Lierle hit his third home run of the game, a lead-off blast to center. That ended the day for
Gloymer Cuevas, who threw 6 2/3 innings after relieving starter
Kyle Eifert just one out into the game. Cuevas ended with 11 strikeouts while giving up five runs on nine hits and four walks.
In the ninth, Goncalves kept hope alive with a one-out single. A fielder's choice out later, Ozuna came through with the hit of the game, a two-run homer to left that gave Wayland its first lead of the game. It was Ozuna's ninth dinger of the year, ended a 16-game drought dating back to March 27
After an extended stoppage in play when umpires discussed Ozuna's bat-toss, Collazo made it back-to-back jacks with a shot to left, his 13
th of the year.
Now with a two-run lead, the Pioneers turned to
Jose Suero, who relieved Cuevas in the eighth. Suero got pinch-hitter Hunter Brown to ground to new third baseman
Tristan Galbreath, bringing up the top of the OCU order. Noah Barks popped out before Cross Factor double to deep right.
With Lierle on deck, Dalton Reed's fly-out to deep left-center ended the wild game.
Wayland scored its 14 runs on 14 hits, three by Collazo who scored four runs on had four RBIs. Ozuna, Santos, Green and Ingram had two hits each, Ozuna and Vargas had three RBIs apiece, and Ingram scored three runs
OCU ended with 18 hits, although Eifert, Cuevas and Suero (3-5) combined for 14 strikeouts against the Stars.
