Wayland Baptist will open Sooner Athletic Conference play next weekend on the heels of a doubleheader sweep and a series win over NCAA Division II Adams State (Colo.). The Pioneers, after splitting games Friday with the Grizzlies, rallied for wins in both contests Saturday at Wilder Field, prevailing 3-2 in the opener then 8-4 in the series finale.
"I believe we pitched really well today and also played really good defense," WBU coach
Todd Weldon said. "Even though we didn't score very many runs in the first game, I believe we had really good at-bats in both games."
Garrett McClain, Wayland's 6-foot-4, 245-pound closer, made his first start of the year in Saturday's first game. In 5 2/3 innings, McClain allowed two runs on just two hits while striking out six and walking a pair.
"Garrett did a great job in his first start of the year. He gave his team an opportunity to win late in the game," Weldon said.
The Pioneers trailed 2-1 when McClain exited in the sixth, and in the bottom of that inning Wayland took the lead. After
Hayden Ingram led off with a double,
Arturo Disla walked and
Jake Green was hit by a pitch,
Delvis Claudio delivered a two-RBI single to left-centerfield that drove in Ingram and pinch runner
Cesar Lopez.
Wayland – which scored its first run on
Samuel Fabian's one-out homer in the second – wasn't able to plate any more runs, but it didn't matter when
William Flowers, a sophomore from Woodbury, made his first appearance on the bump to start the seventh. Flowers induced a fly-out to right, got the second out himself on a grounder, then, after a walk, ended the game with a strikeout.
"William also did a great job in his first appearance as a pitcher," Weldon said.
Grayson Soukup (1-1) picked up the win, striking out the only batter he faced, Adams State's clean-up hitter, for the final out of the sixth.
Wayland ended with eight hits, two each by Ingram and Claudio.
In the second game, Wayland took a 1-0 lead in the first on Fabian's RBI-sacrifice fly but lost it when he Grizzlies plated four in the third.
The Pioneers got two back in the bottom on back-to-back RBI-doubles by Disla and Fabian, on the heels of a double by
Caleb Rozier and a walk by Ingram.
WBU tied it in the fourth when designated hitter
Cooper Jauz drew a lead-off walk, advanced on
Justin Porter's single and Rozier being hit by a pitch, then scored on a wild pitch.
The Pioneers took the lead with a three-run fifth that got started with Fabian's second homer of the day, fourth of the series and team-leading seventh of the season. Claudio then doubled, Jauz walked and
Hans Doughtie drove home Claudio on a fielder's choice. Jauz scored, unearned, when Porter reached on an error.
WBU picked up its final run in the sixth when Disla hit his fourth homer of the year on a full-count, two-out blast to left.
Starter
Nathan Baca (2-1) turned in a strong performance, allowing three earned runs on four hits with five Ks and a walk in 5 2/3.
Brooks Browning relieved and, with one pitch, induced a groundout to end the sixth before handing the ball to start the seventh to
Antonio Mejia, who struck out two in earning his first save.
The Pioneers (13-7) continue an 11-game home stand when they open conference play by hosting No. 11 Oklahoma City (6-9) in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Friday followed by a nine-inning single at 1 Saturday. The defending league champion Stars, who lead the all-time series against Wayland, 85-17, have had a mixed bag this season, dropping their first three games of the season to LSU-Alexandria and two to No. 5 Bellevue (Neb.) while splitting with No. 12 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) and beating No. 21 Concordia (Neb.) twice. OCU has lost three of its last four, including a split with Doane (Neb.) and a loss to Sterling (Kan.).
Weldon likes the Pioneers' chances in conference play.
"I believe that this team has the potential to win a conference championship if everybody can stay healthy and injury-free."
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