Box Score Wayland Baptist threw a couple of scares into Science & Arts of Oklahoma, but in the end the 10
th-ranked Droves walked away with two more Sooner Athletic Conference wins on Thursday at Wilder Field. The visitors from Chickasha, Okla., scored seven runs in their final at-bat to break a tie and win the opener, 13-6, before the Drovers hung on to win game two, 7-6.
The Pioneers (23-19, 6-14 SAC) and Drovers (31-8, 16-4) meet for the series finale at 2 p.m. Friday.
In Thursday's first game, Wayland got on top of the Drovers 1-0 in the first and 3-2 in the second before S&A plated four in the third. Down 6-3, Wayland got a clutch pinch-hit three-run home run by
Brock Webber in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score, only to have the Drovers respond in the seventh with the most productive inning of the day.
After a lead-off walk, the next five Science & Arts batters got hits, then later a home run to cap the big inning. The Drovers ended the game with 18 hits off four WBU pitchers with
Chase Jones (2-5) saddled with the loss. The Pioneers ended with six hits, two by
Arturo Disla who also scored twice.
In the nightcap, Science & Arts went up 2-0 in the second and never gave up the lead, although the Pioneers made a go of it. Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the third, Wayland got a lead-off homer from
Tyler Latham – his first of the season – and a two-run blast from
Dawin Santos to cut the deficit to 4-3.
WBU should have tied it up when
Jack Kolich singled and Disla doubled, but it was ruled Kolich didn't touch third base on his way home, and after a successful appeal the run was taken off the board.
Science & Arts matched Wayland's three runs in its next at-bat, following a hit-batsman with back-to-back doubles then a single. The Pioneers also immediately answered back, benefitting from
Danny Arambula being plunked then back-to-back singles from Latham and
Hayden Ingram. Another run scored on a throwing error, then Kolich drove in a run on a bases loaded fielder's choice that the Drovers turned into an unusual inning-ending double-play.
After six strong innings by WBU starting pitcher
Ty Jackson (5-2),
Jose Suero entered and escaped a jam unscathed, stranding two Drovers and keeping Wayland just a single run back. But the Pioneers went 3-up, 3-down in their last at-bat with reliever Hagen Earls (1-1) – who took over after WBU reached Josh Harrel for three runs on eight hits in 2 2/3 innings – recording two of his three strikeouts over his 4 1/3 innings of work.
Both teams ended with 10 hits, with Latham,
Jake Green, Kolich and Disla getting two each for Wayland.
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