VICTORIA – Wayland Baptist picked up another win but Saturday couldn't quite close the deal on a season-opening, four-game sweep against Houston-Victoria. Following Friday's 6-5 and 5-3 victories, the Pioneers shut out the Jaguars in Saturday's first game, 7-0, before falling in the series finale, 10-5.
"UHV has a good baseball team. We wanted a sweep, but it was still a good weekend of baseball with a series win on the road," Wayland first-year coach
Todd Weldon said. "It's what we will plan for every weekend. I'm proud of our team."
Senior
Deric Trevino was outstanding on the mound in Saturday's first game, recording a two-hitter while striking out 10 and walking just three. Trevino didn't allow a runner past first base until the seventh inning.
"Trevino cruised in game 1. He had a very impressive outing. It's what he is capable of doing every time he toes the rubber," Weldon said.
Offensively, the Pioneers put up three runs in the first inning and four in the seventh. Newcomer
Arturo Disla provided the fuel in the first with a three-run homer after
Tyler Latham and
Hayden Ingram opened the game with a walk and single. In the seventh, Latham and Ingram again got things moving with an opening walk and double. Disla provided an RBI-single to left before clean-up hitter
Jake Green slapped a two-RBI double to center. After an intentional walk to
Dawin Santos,
Danny Arambula recorded an RBI-groundout to end the scoring.
"We had two great innings on the offensive end in the first game," Weldon said.
Ingram and Disla each provided three hits, combining for six of WBU's seven.
In the finale, the Jaguars pushed across four runs in the third and three in the fourth to take an 8-3 lead. Wayland managed one run in each of its final two at-bats, but it wasn't enough.
Wayland ended with eight hits, two each by Latham and Ingram.
Sophomore starter
Victor Feliz, the first of six WBU pitchers, took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings.
"We gave away too much on the mound," Weldon said. "But I never felt like we were out of the game. The guys competed until the end."
The Pioneers conclude their season-opening eight-game road swing with two more doubleheaders next weekend in Austin against Huston-Tillotson. The sets on Friday and Saturday both start at 1 p.m. The Rams opened their season this weekend against Bethany College.
