The Wayland Baptist baseball team made its 2022 home debut under new head coach
Todd Weldon on Friday afternoon, coming away with a pair of victories over Peru State College (Neb.)., 8-6 and 8-4. In between the wins, longtime assistant coach Tommy McMillan, who died last September at age 67, was honored during a 10-minute on-field tribute.
Wayland (5-1) got strong pitching performances in both contests. In game 1,
Tanner Solomon lasted 5 2/3 innings – striking out seven and walking none while surrendering four hits – but was hurt by a costly error that allowed the visiting Bobcats (0-5) to score three unearned runs and take a 5-4 lead. Hard-chunking reliever
Chase Jones came on and promptly ended the Bobcats' rally.
The Pioneers got all three runs back, plus an extra, in the bottom of the sixth when – after a Peru State error on a potential inning-ending double-play – clean-up hitting catcher
Jake Green slapped a two-run single.
Arturo Disla scored on a balk before
Dawin Santos put down an RBI-single to make it 8-5.
Jose Suero took over on the mound in the seventh, giving up a single and a pair of walks before fanning the final batter to end it and earn his second save of the young season.
Green recorded the first home run and first run of 2022 at Wilder Field in the fourth with a lead-off bomb to left. The Bobcats got a two-run homer in the fifth, but Wayland responded in the bottom by pushing across three runs.
Tyler Latham walked and
Hayden Ingram singled to get things going. Latham scored on a throwing error before Disla and Santos delivered RBI-singles.
Game 2 wasn't near as tight after Wayland took a 4-0 lead in the first on the strength of Santos' two-out grand slam over the scoreboard in right-center. Ingram added a run in the third when he singled, stole second and eventually scored on a passed ball.
The Pioneers pushed their lead to 7-0 in the fifth when Ingram walked and later scored on a bad throw while he swiped third.
Jack Kolich, pinch-running after Disla walked, scored on
Cesar Lopez's single up the middle.
Santos led off the sixth with his second homer for an 8-0 lead. Peru State tightened things up in the seventh after a lead-off walk and costly infield error. After the Bobcats ended the shutout with a two-out RBI-single, Adams launched a three-run homer that made it 8-4. After another single, a flyout to left ended it.
WBU starter
Ty Jackson (2-0) went the distance for the Pioneers, allowing just four hits and four unearned runs while striking out five and walking three. He offered 96 pitches.
In between games, members of Coach McMillan's family were presented with a framed jersey to honor the longtime Pioneer assistant. McMillan's son Chance, a former infielder at WBU, threw out a ceremonial pitch to honor his dad.
The teams wrap up the series with a single, nine-inning game starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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