Tyler Wade turned in another stellar pitching performance, this time a 10-strikeout one-hitter as Wayland Baptist blanked McPherson College (Kan.) Saturday afternoon at Wilder Field, 5-0. Like they did Friday, the Pioneers and Bulldogs split Saturday's doubleheader with McPherson escaping with a 6-5, nine-inning victory to close out the series.
Wade was named Sooner Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week after tying the school record with 17 strikeouts against Tabor (Kan.) on Feb. 13 in Louisiana. Wade was the hard-luck loser in that game, but not Saturday when the Pioneers (10-6) scored all the runs they needed in the first inning when
Jake Green hit an RBI-single. The Pioneers added single runs in the second and fourth and the final two in the sixth when
Matthew Unangst homered for the second time this season.
The lone hit off Wade, who walked just one, was a two-out double in the third. The sophomore right-hander from Midland leads the NAIA with 39 strikeouts in his 23 1/3 innings over four starts.
The series finale went extra innings when the teams were tied at 5 after seven. Neither team managed a base-runner in the eighth but the Bulldogs (4-4) got a one-out home run by Antonio Fernandez in the ninth. After that, McPherson loaded the bases with a single and two walks, but relievers
Brooks Browning and
Antonio Mejia – the last of eight WBU pitchers – helped close the door.
In the bottom of the ninth, the first two Pioneers struck out then Green walked before
Cooper Jauz grounded out to first.
WBU ended with a dozen hits, one off its season-best.
Caleb Rozier,
Arturo Disla,
Delvis Claudio,
Samuel Fabian and Unangst all provided two hits each.
The Pioneers return to Wilder for another four-game series against NCAA Division II Adams State (Colo.) next weekend. The teams play doubleheaders at 2 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. WBU opens Sooner Athletic Conference play the following weekend at home against No. 11 Oklahoma City University.
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