WAXAHACHIE – Wayland Baptist dropped a pair of close Sooner Athletic Conference games to Southwestern Assemblies of God University here Friday, 4-2 and 2-1. The Lions benefited from two complete-game pitching efforts from sophomores and timely hitting.
The Pioneers (16-15, 1-10 SAC) and Lions (25-7, 10-4) square off in the series finale at noon Saturday.
In Friday's first game, Wayland scored single runs in the first and third innings while SAGU plated one in the third and three in the fourth. The other seven at-bats were zeroes.
Arturo Disla drove in both of the Pioneers' runs. In the first, Taylor Latham led off the game by getting on via an error. He then stole second and third before Disla's RBI-single to left.
Then in the third, Ingram hit a one-out double to left then scored when Disla did the same the next batter up.
Up 2-0, the Lions got on the board on the strength of a one-out walk and back-to-back singles. In their next at-bat, SAGU led off the fourth with a single, which sent WBU starter
Tanner Solomon to the showers having allowed four hits with one strikeout and one walk.
Gloymer Cuevas (1-3) entered and gave up back-to-back singles that tied the score. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners up before the winning run scored on a passed ball. A SAC fly brought in an insurance run.
SAGU's Ethan Nors (2-4) earned the win after giving up eight hits with seven strikeouts and a single walk.
In game 2, Wayland again scored in the first – Latham crossed when he and Disla singled followed by a wild pitch – but got nothing after that. SAGU answered Wayland's run in the bottom of the first on a lead-off double and two-out RBI-single. The Lions plated the winning run in the sixth, again benefiting from a lead-off double then an RBI-single.
SAGU got another complete game pitching effort from Michael Watson (6-0), who allowed four singles, struck out seven and scattered six walks. WBU's
Ty Jackson went 4 1/3, surrendering six hits and two walks before
Chase Jones (2-4) took over, allowing two costly singles while fanning three and walking none.
