Samuel Fabian set a new school record with four home runs and Wayland Baptist matched a program mark with eight as the Pioneers outbelted Mid-America Christian University on Saturday afternoon at Wilder Field, 15-6.
The victory gave Wayland (24-13, 9-6 Sooner Athletic Conference) the series against MACU (30-10, 12-6), which entered the weekend as the conference co-leader and ranked the equivalent of 39
th in the NAIA. On Friday, the Pioneers dropped the series opener, 13-7 in nine innings before winning game two on
Branin Seibert's five-hit shutout, 2-0.
Saturday's game featured a dozen home runs, including the eight by WBU which matched a school record managed twice previously, including two years ago against MACU.
Fabian, the sophomore right-fielder from Santiago, Dominican Republic, provided half of the Pioneers' eight dingers as he set the program mark previously held by numerous players, including
Dawin Santos last season and two-time NAIA home runs leader and two-time All-American Luis Vargas, who managed to hit three on four occasions during his stint at Wayland from 2020-21.
No Pioneer had ever hit four before Fabian did it Saturday.
The first-year transfer from Arizona Western College had solo shots in the second and fourth innings, a three-run blast in the fifth and finally a two-run poke in the eighth. Hitting eighth in the WBU order, Fabian singled in his only other at-bat in the sixth, right after
Matthew Unangst slapped a two-run homer for one of his two round-trippers.
Fabian finished 5-for-5 with seven RBIs (two off the school record) and four runs scored. WBU's team-leader with 13 home runs, Fabian had only one previous multi-homer day, Feb. 3 against New Mexico Highlands when he got two.
Unangst, playing first base, ended his afternoon 3-for-5 with three runs and five RBIs. Getting a home run each were
Cooper Jauz, who went 3-for-5, and
Jake Green, who alogn with
Caleb Rozier and
Justin Porter had two hits.
The game featured a dozen dingers as MACU managed four. The contest's first eight RBIs came via seven home runs.
Wayland, which ranks second in the NAIA in homers with 52, finished with 20 hits, one off its season-best of 21 which came in a 24-6 victory over Central Christian (Kan.).
The Pioneers scored in every inning but the seventh, plating a game-best four in the fifth.
Starter
Tyler Wade (4-1) earned the win, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked just one.
Tyson Potts and
Nathan Baca finished up on the mound, holding the Evangels scoreless on three hits while striking out two each.
The Pioneers play their final non-conference game at 6 p.m. Tuesday at former rival Lubbock Christian (21-16). After that, Wayland is on the road for the final time in the regular-season against University of Science & Arts (23-14, 9-5), which stands third in the SAC standings a half-game ahead of WBU. The Pioneers round out the regular season with home series against No. 17 Texas Wesleyan (24-11, 7-5) and Southwestern Christian (24-13, 6-8).
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