Pioneers Win Slugfest Over Nelson for 3rd Straight SAC Sweep and 10th Straight Victory

Waxahachie, Tex. --- The Pioneers clinched their third straight sweep of a Sooner Athletic Conference opponent after taking down the Lions of Nelson University in a slugfest, 16-14, for their 10^th straight victory.
 
Wayland Baptist struck first in this series finale against Nelson when Arcadio Frausto smacked an RBI single to give the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead.
 
Delvis Claudio continued his torrid power stretch in the top of the 2^nd by crushing a two-run homer to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead – his 16^th home run on the season.
 
The Lions answered back with six straight runs over the next four innings to take a 6-3 lead over the Pioneers after five innings of play.
 
Sinclair Pimentel brought the Pioneers within one run in the top of the 6^th after ripping a two-run double to make it 6-5, Lions. Two batters later, Riley Watson tied the game up at 6-6 after reaching base on a costly Lion error.
 
The top of the 7^th was one of the most dominant offensive innings the Pioneers have put up all season long. The Pioneers scored 10 runs in an inning that nearly saw the batting order flip twice fully.
 
The massive inning started with a two-run double from Polanco that put the Pioneers ahead 8-6. Pimentel then drove a bases-loaded single that scored one run to make it 9-6, WBU. Brayden Peyton followed up with a two-run double that extended the Pioneer lead to 11-6. Watson then smacked a two-run single and later came in to score on a successful double-steal to extend the Pioneer advantage to 14-6.
 
Polanco, in his second at-bat in the inning, cranked an RBI double that put the Pioneers ahead 15-6. Finally, the offensive explosion in the 7^th was capped off with a Samuel Fabian RBI single to make it 16-6, Pioneers.
 
The Lions wouldn't go down easily and began chipping away at the Pioneer lead in the bottom of the 7^th after scoring three runs to make it 16-9, WBU. The Lions added four more runs in the bottom of the 8^th and one run in the bottom of the 9^th, but Juan Gil-Franco slammed the door for the Pioneers and clinched the 16-14 victory in this series finale – securing the three-game road sweep of Nelson.
 
Polanco finished 3 for 4 with two doubles, three RBIs, a walk, and four runs scored. Pimentel went 3 for 5 with a double, three RBIs, and a run scored. Claudio went 2 for 6 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Watson finished 1 for 5 with three RBIs, two stolen bases, and a run scored.
 
The Pioneers will return home next weekend for a three-game series against the Stars of Oklahoma City University. The two teams will meet for a doubleheader on Friday, April 4^th with game one set to begin at 4:00 PM.