CHICKASHA, Okla. – Wayland Baptist bounced back from a disheartening 10-0 loss to No. 10 Science & Arts of Oklahoma to win an elimination game over Southwestern Assemblies of God University, 4-1, on Saturday at the Sooner Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament.
The win over the Lions – featuring a pitching gem by senior
Tanner Solomon and a program record-tying 11th save by
Jose Suero – gives the sixth-seeded Pioneers (29-22) another crack, or two, at the second-seeded Drovers (34-12). The teams will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Drovers' home field, Bill Smith Ballpark, with Wayland needing to beat S&A twice in order to advance to Monday afternoon's title game against the winner of a Sunday game at Oklahoma City University between top-seeded, fourth-ranked OCU (45-4) and either fifth-seeded Mid-America Christian (31-19) or fourth-seeded Texas Wesleyan (34-18), who squared off Saturday night.
Tournament Results
On Friday, Wayland held its own against Science and Arts through four innings, trailing just 1-0. But the Drovers' offense got on track in the fifth and produced four runs before adding three more in the seventh and two in the eighth when the game ended on the 10-run mercy rule.
The Pioneers were limited to three hits by the Drovers' Drew Shaver (9-2), who struck out six and walked three. All three hits were singles, by
Jake Green,
Arturo Disla and
Brock Webber.
Ty Jackson (5-4), the first of five WBU pitchers, took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. The Pioneer pitchers combined to walk seven while striking out four.
It was the first time WBU had been shut out all season and came after the Pioneers left nine runners stranded. Wayland twice had the bases loaded – in the fourth and seventh – with no outs only to come away empty-handed.
The loss forced the Pioneers to play an hour later against SAGU, a team Wayland beat in the tourney opener on Friday, 3-1. The Lions then won an elimination game over seventh-seeded Southwestern Christian in Saturday's first game, 5-1.
In the Pioneers vs. Lions rematch, Wayland went up 1-0 in the first when
Hayden Ingram singled, stole second, went to third on a flyout then scored on a single by
Dawin Santos.
Neither team scored again until the sixth when the Lions tied it on a pair of singles and a groundout. An inning later, Wayland regained the upper hand for good when Disla and Webber slapped back-to-back doubles. The Pioneers picked up a pair of insurance runs in the eighth after
Tyler Latham and Green singled and Santos was intentionally walked leading to a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle by Disla.
The Lions threatened in their final at-bat after closer
Jose Suero took over for Solomon (4-3), who in eight sharp innings and on 118 pitches allowed just the one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk. SAGU managed to load the bases thanks to two hits and a two-out walk, but Suero ended the game with a strikeout to secure his 11
th save of the season, tying the program record first set by Michael Rose in 1994.
Like in WBU's 3-1 win over SAGU Friday, Disla provided three of Wayland's nine hits and two of four RBIs, while Latham got two hits.
