STERLINGTON, La. – After pulling out a pair of one-run victories in their first two games at the Cajun Collision, the Wayland Baptist baseball team dropped their final two games here Saturday, a forgettable 19-0 setback to Clarke (Iowa) followed by a 1-0 heart-breaker to Tabor (Kan.) that featured a record-tying performance by Pioneer pitcher
Tyler Wade.
The losses snapped a six-game win streak for the Pioneers (8-4).
In Saturday's finale, Wayland and Tabor (8-1) were locked in a scoreless deadlock and the Pioneers were an out away from forcing extra innings. But a dropped infield pop-up allowed the game's only run to score from first base. Jace Wytulka, a pinch runner for Ethan Williams who was hit by a pitch with one away, was on the move as soon as Tyler Mata Lloyd made contact. After the Pioneers couldn't bring in the high-fly, Wytulka barely beat the tag of Pioneer catcher
William Flowers.
The loss spoiled a 17-strikeout, no-walk, four-hit effort by Wade, a sophomore right-hander from Midland in his first season at Wayland after transferring from Odessa College. Wade initially signed with the University of Tennessee out of high school.
The 17 Ks by Wade, who struck out the first nine batters he faced and recorded an immaculate inning, ties a program record held since 2011 by Marcus Limon. Coincidentally, the Pioneers also lost that game at Wilder Field, 6-1 to Oklahoma Baptist in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament. Wade's teammate
Tyson Potts, a freshman, flirted with the record in WBU's 1-0 win Friday over Benedictine (Kan.).
The Pioneers managed just two hits – a single by
Caleb Rozier in the sixth and another by
Ryoya Yamashita in the seventh – against a pair of Blue Jay pitchers, who combined to strike out 11 and also allowed no walks. The two did hit five Pioneer batters.
Wayland's best scoring opportunity came in the sixth when the Pioneers had runners on second and third with one out, but the next two batters struck out.
WBU also advanced a runner to third in the third after two hit batsmen and a passed ball, but with two outs Tabor got out of that jam with an unassisted groundout to first.
In the lopsided loss to Clarke (3-2), the Pioneers were done in by the Pride's 15 hits and four errors. Clarke scored in every at-bat, including six runs in each of the third and sixth innings.
Wayland ended with three hits – by
Arturo Disla,
Delvis Claudio and
Samuel Fabian – against three Pride pitchers, who struck out eight.
Six Pioneers pitched.
WBU next heads to Kansas to take on McPherson College, which opened its season at the Cajun Collision with a 9-5 win Friday over Benedictine. The Bulldogs, ranked the equivalent of 26
th in the NAIA, faced Mid-America Christian and No. 4 LSU-Shreveport on Saturday and Louisiana Christian on Sunday.
The Pioneers are back home for a four-game series against Adams State (Colo.) Feb. 24 and 25 prior to opening conference play at home against No. 11 Oklahoma City.
