OKLAHOMA CITY – Wayland Baptist pounded out a season-high 19 hits and threatened a program record with seven home runs, but it wasn't quite enough to overcome Oklahoma City University on Saturday afternoon at Jim Wade Stadium.
Wayland's
Arturo Disla, who tied a program record with three homers and contributed seven RBIs, came up with a two-run single in the top of the ninth to tie it, but the Stars pushed across a run in their last at-bat to win it, 16-15.
Having taken a five-game win streak into the weekend, the Pioneers (13-6, 0-3) were hoping to return to Plainview with a victory after dropping Friday's doubleheader, 8-2 and 17-3. Saturday's series finale was a back-and-forth affair all afternoon as the teams played in temperatures close to 80 degrees with winds gusting to 25 mph.
The Pioneers came out swinging and plated five in the first inning. The Stars answered with three in the bottom of the frame, and the slugfest was on.
Wayland was up 6-5 going into the fourth when the teams combined for nine runs that tied it at 10-all. After the game's only scoreless inning in the fifth, the Pioneers took the upper hand after their at-bats in the sixth and seventh, only to have OCU respond in kind.
It was knotted at 13 heading into the eigth when OCU held Wayland without a run while scoring two for a 15-13 lead. In their last at-bat in the top of the ninth, the Pioneers got their first three batters on base when
Justin Porter and top-of-the-order left-fielder
William Flowers walked and
Jack Kolich reached on an error on his sacrifice bunt. Disla delivered a two-strike single up the middle that plated both Porter and Flowers.
OCU then brought in its fifth pitcher, freshman Rylan Roberson, who enticed clean-up hitter
Jake Green into a fielder's choice for the first out before getting
Matthew Unangst to ground into a double-play.
The Pioneers could have used another run or two as the Stars went to work on offense.
Chase Jones, the fifth WBU pitcher who entered to start the eighth, hit the first OCU batter, designated hitter clean-up C. Stephens, then surrendered back-to-back singles to left to Peyton Crispin and Jesse Fonteboa to end it.
All three losing pitchers over the weekend –
Tanner Solomon,
Ty Jackson and Jones – suffered their first defeats of the season.
The loss partially spoiled the big day for WBU's offense, which put up 19 hits, the most for the Pioneers since last April when they slapped 23 in an 18-14 win over McMurry. In that game against the War Hawks, WBU tied a school record with eight home runs, which the Pioneers threatened Saturday with seven.
Meanwhile, Disla's three blasts tied a program mark which has been done numerous times, including four times by last year's SAC Player of the Year
Luis Vargas. Disla hit a solo shot in the second and two-run blasts in the fourth and seventh. He finished 4-for-6 with seven RBIs, two off the school mark.
Dawin Santos sent two out of the park, a three-run dinger in the first and a solo homer in the fourth. Santos and Disla now have six homer apiece, one behind Green who managed his team-leading seventh blast in the fourth.
Mark Anzaldua hit his first HR Saturday.
Green and
Tyler Latham provided three hits each.
