The No. 11 Oklahoma City Stars completed a Sooner Athletic Conference-opening sweep of Wayland Baptist on Saturday afternoon at Wilder Field, winning 5-2. That followed OCU wins Friday, 4-2 and 5-4.
The losses dropped Wayland to 13-10 on the season and 0-3 in SAC play, while the Stars evened their overall mark to 9-9 and took the early lead in the conference standings at 3-0.
In Saturday's series finale, the Pioneers and Stars put up a series of single-run innings as no team scored more than one run in any single inning. OCU plated runs in the first, second, fourth and fifth frames before Wayland got on the board in the sixth on an RBI-single to
Delvis Claudio that scored
Cesar Lopez. Lopez, who came in as a courtesy runner after a single by
Jake Green, stole second before Claudio's hit to center.
OCU got the run right back in the seventh with a homer by Trent Kiraly, the second shot of the game after Felix Chenier-Rondeau knocked his third blast of the series in the first.
Green lined Wayland's only home run of the weekend to lead off the eighth to make it a three-run game. The Pioneers made some noise in the ninth when
Hayden Ingram hit a two-out single to bring up
Arturo Disla, but the power hitter struck out.
Garrett McClain (2-2) took the loss, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with six strkeouts and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Nathan Baca finished, allowing just one run on four hits with four Ks and a walk in 4 2/3.
Three OCU pitchers combined to allow eight hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.
After 11 straight home games, Wayland plays its next three SAC series on the road, first against Central Christian (Kan.) next weekend. The Tigers are 4-16 on the season and 1-2 in the SAC after a series against Oklahoma-Panhandle State.
The Pioneers' lone home game over its next 10 is a non-conference matchup against University of the Southwest on Tuesday, March 14.
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