Plainview, Texas – The Pioneers completed a two-game sweep of Tabor College in Saturday's doubleheader to take 3 of 4 from the Blue Jays and win the opening weekend series.
Wayland Baptist got outstanding starting pitching performances today out of
Juan Gil-Franco and
Branin Seibert. Gil-Franco got the nod for game one, and he gave the Pioneers 5.1 strong innings. In his 5.1 innings of work, Gil-Franco gave up 2 runs, 7 hits, no walks, and 4 strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season.
Branin Seibert threw a complete game shutout in game 2 – pitching all 7 innings, allowing 0 runs, 4 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts to pick up his 2
nd win on the young 2024 season.
The Pioneers claimed a 1-0 lead at the end of the 1
st inning after
Felix Polanco ripped a double to right field, and
Arcadio Frausto drove him in with a single to right. After a
Riley Watson single in the 3
rd inning,
Delvis Claudio drove triple to right to score Watson and make it a 2-0 Pioneer lead. Polanco singled to left in the next at bat to score Claudio and make it a 3-0 Pioneer lead. The Blue Jays were able to score a run in the 4
th and 5
th innings to cut the Pioneer lead down to 3-2. Frausto came to the plate in the bottom of the 6
th inning and hit a solo shot to right for his 2
nd home run on the year.
Nathan Baca got the final six outs for the Pioneers to slam the door on a game one win.
Frausto finished game one going 2-3 with a solo home run. Polanco went 2-3 with an RBI, a run scored, and a double. Claudio went 1-3 with an RBI triple and a run scored.
Wayland Baptist continued their trend of scoring in the first inning after Polanco got the game two scoring underway with an RBI single to right to score Watson. Watson then stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 2
nd and ripped a single to right to score
Cooper Jauz and increase their lead to 2-0. The Pioneers capped off their game two scoring in the bottom of the 4
th after Claudio smashed a double to center to score Watson, and Polanco singled in Claudio to make it 4-0. The Pioneers didn't need any additional insurance runs due to Seibert taking the mound and shutting down the Blue Jays all afternoon, finishing off a 4-0 victory.
Riley Watson went 1-3 with an RBI, two runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base. Polanco finished game two going 2-3 with 2 RBIs.
Vann Johnson finished game two a perfect 3-3 from the plate with a double and a run scored. Claudio finished 1-4 with an RBI double, and a run scored.
The Pioneers will hit the road and travel to Arlington, Texas where they will face off against Arlington Baptist University in a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 3:00 PM.
