Plainview, Texas – The Pioneers clubbed 9 home runs and drove in 26 runs to break the Pioneer record for the most home runs in a single game in program history and most RBIs in a game, and they demolished Central Christian College (Kan.) to complete the 3-game sweep of the Tigers to begin Sooner Athletic Conference play and push their win streak to 4 games.
After Wayland Baptist fell behind 1-0 after the top of the 1
st inning, they responded in the bottom half by crushing 4 home runs in the first inning alone and scored 12 runs in the inning.
Felix Polanco,
Arcadio Frausto,
Brayden Peyton, and
Samuel Fabian all went yard in the first inning to bust the game open. The Pioneers sent 18 batters to the plate during the first inning.
The Tigers scratched across two runs in the top of the 2
nd, but those runs were immediately erased after
Delvis Claudio smashed his third home run of the series making it 14-3. Fabian came up to the plate in the next at bat and deposited a pitch on top of the Hutcherson Center in left center field for his second homer of the game, and the 6
th Pioneer home run of the afternoon to make it 15-3. After another Pioneer run,
Vann Johnson hit a bloop single to right to score two more runs to make it 18-3. Three straight hit batters gave the Pioneers their 7
th run of frame to take a 19-3 lead after just two innings of play.
After a couple of scoreless innings, the Pioneers got their 7
th home run of the game when
Carson Parham drove a two-run shot over the bullpen in left field to make it 21-3.
William Flowers cracked a solo homer to left in the bottom of the 5
th for the Pioneer's 8
th home run of the game, which ties the single game record for home runs in a game. The Pioneers broke the record the next batter after
Edgard Bermudez deposited the pitch into the Tiger bullpen to make it 23-3. The Pioneers scratched across 3 more run and gave the ball to
Christian Gonzalez to slam the door and end the onslaught at 26-5.
Branin Seibert made the start for the Pioneers – throwing six innings, allowing 3 runs, 6 hits, one walk, and 7 strikeouts. Seibert did a good job staying in rhythm after having such long breaks between innings due to the Pioneer bats erupting.
Samuel Fabian finished 2-2 with two home runs, 5 RBIs, 3 runs scored, and a stolen base.
Delvis Claudio finished 3-3 with a two-run homer, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored, a walk, and a hit by pitch.
Arcadio Frausto went 2-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs.
Brayden Peyton finished 1-1 with a home run, 3 RBIs, 3 runs scored, and a hit by pitch.
Edgard Bermudez finished 2-2 with a home run and a double.
The Pioneers set program single-game records for most home runs hit in a single game with 9 bombs, and RBIs in a single game with 25 runs driven in. They finished two runs shy of the single-game runs record of 28. The Pioneers completely dominated this series, outscoring Central Christian by a combined score of 58-16, and they hit 14 home runs to power their way to the sweep.
Head Coach Todd Weldon mentioned how explosive the Pioneers offense can be, "I believe we have a very explosive offense, which showed up in the first inning today. Our struggle with all of the game's leading into today (which has led to most all of our losses) has been getting started too late in the game with having the at bats we are capable of as a team."
He continued, "Coach Brett Cook spoke with the team before the game today, and what he told them was significant. He walked through our line up and asked if the first three hitters were hitters anybody wanted to pitch to, and he asked the same question of the next three in the lineup, and the same for the last three hitters and our position players on the bench. Our lineup is a very difficult to pitch to and we can play defense. We have a really talented group of young men that I believe can really play."
Next for the Pioneers will be a 3-game home Sooner Athletic Conference series against the Aggies of Oklahoma Panhandle State University. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Friday with first pitch of game one scheduled for 2:00 PM.
