Box Score HOBBS, N.M. – In the first-ever Wayland Baptist softball game, the Pioneers held their own as they fell to the University of the Southwest in an exhibition outing here Friday afternoon, 3-1.
"The girls did well," coach Enrique Villa said. "I had said my goal was I wanted us to be in every game, and the girls did that today."
In its 11
th game of the season, USW (3-8) scored just one earned run as the Pioneers were hurt by four errors.
"We made some silly mistakes but also had some good defensive plays," Villa said.
Pitcher
Clarissa Rejino and catcher
Reagan Davis shined for Wayland, with Rejino allowing eight hits and four walks while striking out five. Rejino, who tossed 87 pitches in six innings, also drove in the Pioneers' lone run, scored in the sixth by
Madison Martinez after she was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a double by Davis.
Davis also provided Wayland's two other hits.
"Clarissa pitched a really, really good ballgame. She was moving the ball around well. (USW) only made hard contact twice. They got a couple of (unfortunate) hits," said Villa, who praised Rejino and battery-mate Davis for "calling their own game."
While he would have liked to have seen more offense, Villa said the Pioneers, "competed at the plate. We managed to get some people on base, we just couldn't plate them.
"Overall, I felt like we could have put better swings on the ball. We popped up a couple of bunt attempts, so we were unable to move runners in key situations. We had a rope hit straight to the left-fielder and another hard line-drive straight to the shortstop that doubled up a girl."
The Pioneers are back in action at noon (Central) Saturday against the Mustangs.
(Wayland is playing a 2023 exhibition schedule before competing as a Sooner Athletic Conference team with a countable schedule in 2024).
