Waxahachie – The Pioneers concluded their 2024 road schedule by dominating Southwestern Assemblies of God University 9-0 in a 5-inning run-rule game one win, and 8-2 in game two to sweep Friday's doubleheader and take 3 of 4 from the Lions in this series.
Wayland Baptist jumped all over SAGU in the top of the 1
st after
Jenna Sepeda tapped an infield single to score
Jadyn Fernandez to give the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead.
Berkley Bradley followed up with a triple to score Sepeda to make it 2-0. Later in the 1
st,
Arianna Zubia singled to score Bradley from third to make it 3-0. After Pioneers starter
Clarissa Rejino sat down the Lion lineup 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 1
st, the Pioneers added another run in the 2
nd thanks to a
Reagan Davis RBI double to left, making it 4-0.
In the top of the 4
th, the Pioneers continued to extend their lead when Davis drove in another run with a single to make it 5-0, WBU. Fernandez then followed with an RBI double to left that scored Davis from second to make it 6-0. Wayland Baptist loaded the bases in the top of the 5
th for
Abcde Garcia, who hit an RBI single to make it 7-0.
Madison Martinez knocked in two more runs for the Pioneers in the top of the 5
th after the Lions committed a costly error that made it 9-0, Pioneers. Rejino slammed the door on the Lions in the bottom of the 5
th, and Wayland Baptist secured the 8-run after 5 innings run-rule victory over SAGU, 9-0.
Davis finished game one going 2 for 3 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base. Garcia went 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Martinez went 1 for 3 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base. Zubia finished 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Fernandez went 2 for 3 with an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base.
Rejino was outstanding in her game one start for the Pioneers. She threw five shutout innings, only walking one batter and striking out two.
Wayland Baptist fell behind 2-0 in the bottom of the 1
st in game two after the Lions hit two RBI singles. The Pioneers answered in the top of the 3
rd when Davis singled to right to score
Aaleah Rodriguez from second to make it 2-1, SAGU.
The Pioneer offense erupted in the top of the 4
th when
Mikayla Carrillo smashed an RBI double to left to make it 2-2.
Arianna Zubia followed with an RBI double that gave the Pioneers a 3-2 lead. Garcia then tapped an infield single that scored Carrillo from third to give the Pioneers a 4-2 lead. Zubia made it a 5-2 Pioneer lead when she stole home on a double steal with Garcia taking second base. Rodriguez then smoked a triple to center field that scored Garcia and put the Pioneers up 6-2, capping off a 5-run inning for Wayland Baptist.
The Pioneers extended their lead to 7-2 in the top of the 6
th after Carrillo was able to score on a Lion's error. Bradley made it a 6-run game in the top of the 7th with an RBI double to left that score Fernandez from second, making it 8-2 WBU. The Lions loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7
th, but
Amber Poorbaugh was able to get a lazy pop up to first base to end this game at 8-2 and secure the Saturday doubleheader sweep of SAGU.
Rodriguez finished game two going 2 for 3 with a triple, double, an RBI, and a run scored. Davis finished 1 for 4 with an RBI and a stolen base. Bradley went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Carrillo went 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Zubia finished 1 for 3 with an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base.
Addy Rich got the start for Wayland Baptist in game two, and she did a great job working around trouble this afternoon. She pitched six innings, allowing two runs, 10 hits, no walks, and two strikeouts. Poorbaugh threw a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout.
With the Pioneers taking 3 of 4 in this against SAGU, they currently sit 5
th in the Sooner Athletic Conference Standings, and they have clinched a berth into the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament in their first official season as a program.
Head Coach Enrique Villa is happy with how his team played and hopes his team can keep it rolling as they head into the final weekend of the regular season. He said, "I am very pleased with our efforts. We responded well after that tough loss is yesterday's game two. Our pitchers did a spectacular job, backed up by sturdy defense, and productive hitting."
Coach Villa continued, "We will do everything possible to take next weekend's series vs. Southwestern Christian to see how high of a seeding we can get. No matter where we end up, we're going in with a competitive mindset and taking it one inning at a time."
The Pioneers will begin preparation for next weekends final regular season home Sooner Athletic Conference series of the season against the Eagles of Southwestern Christian University. They will play a doubleheader both Friday and Saturday. First pitch for game one of Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 2:00 PM.
