Wayland Baptist held the lead in both games of its doubleheader against Texas Wesleyan, but the Rams found ways to win both, 9-5 and 8-7, in Sooner Athletic Conference play Friday at Wilder Field.
The Pioneers (16-12, 1-7 SAC) will try to salvage a victory when they meet the Rams (20-12, 7-5) in the series finale beginning at noon Saturday.
In Friday's opener, Wayland led 4-0 after the third, thanks in part to a pair of solo homers from
Arturo Disla. But the Rams erupted for six runs – including a three-run homer – during a five-hit fourth.
That was enough offense as Wayland managed just one more run in the bottom of the fourth, while the Rams added an insurance run in the fifth and two more in the seventh.
The Rams ended with a dozen hits, with first baseman Hayden Hutchins going 4-for-4, while the Pioneers got 11 hits including two each by Disla,
Dawin Santos and
Danny Arambula.
In game two, it was Wayland that put up a six-run inning as the Pioneers got a homer from Santos, an RBI-double by
Justin Porter, a two-RBI single from
Hayden Ingram and an RBI-single by
Jake Green, along with an unearned run that made it 6-1.
The Rams chipped away at the lead over the final five innings, getting two runs in the third, three in the fourth, one in the fifth and the game-winner in the seventh. Manny Luna led off TXWES's final at-bat with a double off the glove of second baseman Arambula's glove, leading WBU coach
Todd Weldon to lift pitcher
Chase Jones for
Jose Suero.
On Suero's first pitch, the Rams' Greyson Barrett dribbled a ball down the third base line that Suero couldn't do anything with, then on the next pitch Carson Cheaney's high tapper to third baseman Disla resulted in an errant throw, allowing the winning run to score.  Â
The hard-throwing Suero struck out the next three batters, including one which resulted in the ejection of Tomas Sanchez after an altercation with catcher Green.
After the Rams brought in their fifth pitcher of the game, Morgan McCloud who also closed out game 1, WBU pinch-hitter
William Flowers drew a lead-off walk. After Santos flew out on a towering ball to shallow center, Flowers was thrown out trying to steal second before Arambula struck out to end it.
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