CHICKASHA, Okla. – Wayland Baptist ran out of comebacks, and the Pioneers' season came to an end here Sunday afternoon.
Less than 24 hours after a memorable come-from-behind win to stave off elimination in the Sooner Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, Wayland Baptist came up short against 25
th-ranked Science & Arts of Oklahoma as the Pioneers fell to the home-standing Drovers at Bill Smith Ballpark, 15-5. The game was stopped after 6½ innings on the 10-run rule.
The loss ends sixth-seeded Wayland's season at 29-23 while second-seeded USAO (34-17) advances to Monday's tournament championship against the winner of the other semifinal at Oklahoma City University between the Stars and Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
Against USAO, which defeated Wayland a day earlier, 9-2, the Pioneers found themselves short on pitchers, having used seven arms Saturday. Seven pitchers took to the rubber Sunday, starting with
Tyson Potts (3-5). USAO's high-powered offense reached him for six runs (three earned) on five hits with two walks as Potts recorded just two outs.
The next three WBU pitchers –
Antonio Mejia,
Tate House and
Grayson Soukup – had similar results as the Drovers followed that six-run first with six more in the third for a 13-4 lead. They got two more in the sixth to stretch the lead to double-digits.
USAO ended with 16 hits as the five pitchers struck out eight and walked seven.
Meanwhile, Drovers starter Kaden Alexander (6-3) went the distance as the senior from Broken Arrow, Okla., surrendered eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks.
Things looked promising for Wayland when the Pioneers plated two in the first when
Caleb Rozier walked and
Arturo Disla drove him home with a single to left. After
Delvis Claudio singled, a sacrifice fly by
Cooper Jauz made it 2-0.
After the Drovers struck for six in the bottom of the first, the Pioneers answered back with two in the second on Rozier's homer. That cut the deficit in half, but things got out of hand again when the Drovers struck for another six in the third.
Wayland scored its final run in the fourth when Rozier doubled and scored his third run on
Jake Green's single.
The Pioneers' only hit in their final three at-bats was a triple by senior
Justin Porter in the sixth.
It was Wayland's seventh striaght loss and fifth this season to USAO, all of which have come in Chickasha. The Drovers also beat Wayland twice in last season's SAC Tournament.
