Pioneers Sweep Doubleheader from Nelson for 9th Straight Victory, Now Hold 1st Place in SAC Standings

Waxahachie, Tex. --- Make it nine straight wins for the Pioneers after they sweep Saturday's doubleheader against Nelson. Wayland Baptist secured the 6-1 win in game one then followed that up with a 5-4 win in game two.
 
 
GAME ONE
 
After a few scoreless innings to open game one, the Lions cracked the scoring column in the bottom of the 3^rd with an RBI single that made it 1-0. Samuel Fabian answered back for the Pioneers in the top of the 4^th with a two-run bomb – his 13^th home run of the season – to make it 2-1, WBU.
 
Delvis Claudio added another run for the Pioneers in the top of the 5^th with an RBI single that scored Riley Watson to make it 3-1, WBU.
 
Claudio added another RBI to the stat sheet in the top of the 7th after driving a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1. Three batters later, Fabian added two clutch runs after smashing his second homer of the game to give the Pioneers a 6-1. Juan Gil-Franco slammed the door on the Lions in the bottom of the 7^th to secure the 6-1 win for the Pioneers in game one.
 
Fabian finished 2 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs. Claudio went 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Christian Toledo went 1 for 1 with a walk and a run scored. Felix Polanco went 1 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.
 
The Pioneers got great pitching in game one from Tate House and Gil-Franco. House got the start and went 3.0 innings, allowing one run, one walk, and two strikeouts. Gil-Franco threw 4.0 scoreless innings with no walks and four strikeouts. With the win, Gil-Franco now owns a 7-2 record on the season.
 
 
 
GAME TWO
 
After neither team was able to get anything going offensively over the first two innings, the Pioneers opened the scoring in the top of the 3^rd with a Claudio RBI double that scored Watson to make it 1-0.
 
Nelson answered back for four runs on four hits in the bottom of the 3^rd to take a 4-1 lead over the Pioneers.
 
Wayland Baptist stormed back in the top of the 5^th, starting with Cooper Jauz reaching base on a Lion error that allowed Toledo to score and make it 4-2. Polanco followed up next with a massive go-ahead three-run blast that put the Pioneers ahead 5-4 – his 13^th home run on the season.
 
Tyson Potts wouldn't allow the Lions to score another run, and the Pioneers earned the 5-4 win in game two to sweep Saturday's doubleheader from the Lions and clinch the fifth series win in six tries so far during Sooner Athletic Conference play.
 
Polanco finished game two going 3 for 3 with a home run, a walk, and three RBIs. Claudio went 1 for 3 with a double, an RBI, a walk, and a run scored. Watson went 1 for 3 with a run scored.
 
Tyson Potts was terrific out of the bullpen for the Pioneers in game two – pitching 4.1 scoreless innings with only one hit allowed, no walks, and six strikeouts.
 
With the win, the Pioneers are now in sole possession of first place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with just three series left to go in the regular season.
 
 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Pioneers will look to sweep the Lions on Sunday, March 30^th with a nine-inning game that is set to begin at 1:00 PM in Waxahachie, Texas. With the win, the Pioneers could secure three-straight sweeps of Sooner Athletic Conference foes.