Plainview – The Pioneers completed the four-game sweep of Adams State after taking both games in Saturday's doubleheader. Wayland Baptist secured the 8-2 victory in game one, then followed that up with a 19-12 shootout victory in game two.
GAME ONE
Wayland Baptist opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1
st after
Arcadio Frausto and
Felix Polanco each hit an RBI single to take an early 2-0 lead. The Grizzlies were threatening to score in the top of the 3
rd after getting runners on second and third with only one out, but Pioneer starting pitcher
Isaac Rodriguez got a strike out followed by a defensive assist thanks to a beautiful diving grab from
Christian Toledo in left field to keep the Grizzlies off the scoreboard.
Polanco then added some insurance runs for the Pioneers in the bottom of the 4
th when he crushed a two-run bomb to left to make it 4-0. This was Polanco's 2
nd home run on the season. The Pioneers added one more run in the bottom of the 4
th when
Cesar Ibarra wore a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 5-0. The Grizzlies eventually cracked the scoreboard in the top of the 5
th with two runs, but that went to none as
Samuel Fabian crushed a three-run moonshot to make it 8-2. This was Fabian's 6
th home run of the season.
Rodriguez and
Wellington Vargas held the Grizzlies scoreless for the remainder of the game and secured the 8-2 victory for the Pioneers in game one.
Rodriguez made his first start of the season, and he was on point all afternoon. The righty finished with 4.2 innings, two runs (one earned), two walks, and five strikeouts. Rodriguez earned the win – making him 1-0 on the season. Vargas threw 2.1 scoreless innings in relief with no walks and five strikeouts.
Polanco finished 2 for 3 with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Fabian went 1 for 2 with a home run, three RBIs, and a walk. Frausto finished 2 for 2 with an RBI, a walk, and three runs scored.
GAME TWO
Game two was an offensive clinic between the Pioneers and Grizzlies that ended with a combined 31 runs and 41 hits between the two squads. Adams State started the scoring with two runs in the top of the 1
st. The Pioneers answered back with four runs in their half of the 1
st thanks to RBI singles from Frausto and Fabian, and an RBI double from
Delvis Claudio.
Polanco put the Pioneers ahead 6-2 in the bottom of the 2
nd after smoking a two-run double to right center. The Grizzlies fought back for three runs in the top of the 3
rd to trim the Pioneer lead to 6-5. Fabian put the Pioneers ahead 7-5 in the bottom of the third with a opposite field blast – his 7
th on the season. A couple of batters later, Raphael Beltre Toledo mimicked Fabian with an opposite blast of his own – his 2
nd on the season – to put the Pioneers ahead 8-5.
The Grizzlies answered back in the top of the 4
th with back-to-back opposite field homers to make it an 8-7 ballgame, but Claudio got both runs back with one swing as he slugged a two-run homer to left – his 6
th on the season – to put the Pioneers ahead 10-7. Senior
Brayden Peyton continued the Pioneer hit parade with an RBI single that extended their lead to 11-7. The Pioneers got two more runs across in the bottom of the 4
th to carry a 13-7 lead into the 5
th.
The Grizzlies refused to go away as they scored four more runs in the top of the 5
th and one run in the top of the 6
th to trim their deficit to just one run, 13-12. Frausto gave the Pioneers a little room to breathe after hitting an RBI double to make it 14-12. Fabian would follow three batter's latter and promptly crush a two-run bomb - his second home run of the game, third home run of the doubleheader, and 8
th home run of the season – to give the Pioneers a 16-12 lead after seven innings of play.
Peyton added another insurance run for the Pioneers in the bottom of the 8
th after hitting a solo shot to right – his 3
rd home run on the season – to make it 17-12. Polanco capped off the electric offensive performance for the Pioneers with a two-run double to make it 19-12. Junior
Collin Arnold threw 3.1 scoreless innings in relief with no walks and three strikeouts to earn his first save of the season and slam the door on the Grizzlies – securing the 19-12 win for the Pioneers.
Fabian finished 4 for 5 with two home runs, two doubles, four RBIs, and four runs scored. Polanco went 4 for 6 with two doubles, four RBIs, and a run scored. Claudio went 2 for 3 with a home run, a double, three RBIs, and two runs scored.
Christian Toledo finished 4 for 5 with two doubles, an RBI, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Peyton went 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs.
UP NEXT
The Pioneers will open up Sooner Athletic Conference play with a three-game series against the Drovers of Science & Arts (Okla.) in Chickasha, Oklahoma. The teams will face-off in a doubleheader on Friday, February 21
st with game one set to begin at 3:00 PM.
