AVE MARIA, FL. --- Wayland Baptist opened its 2026 season with a split in a road doubleheader against Ave Maria on Friday afternoon at Bowie's Ballpark, earning an 8–3 victory in the opener before dropping a tightly contested 2–1 decision in game two.
Game One – Wayland Baptist 8, Ave Maria 3
The Pioneers wasted little time setting the tone in the season opener, using timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and solid pitching to secure an 8–3 win in the first game of the doubleheader.
Wayland struck early, plating runs in each of the first two innings to jump out to a 2–0 lead. The offense broke the game open in the fourth inning, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring four runs to extend the advantage to 6–2. The big inning was fueled by patience at the plate, hit-by-pitches, and capitalizing on defensive miscues.
Christian Toledo delivered one of the biggest swings of the afternoon in the sixth inning, launching a two-run home run to left field to give Wayland an 8–3 cushion. Toledo finished with a pair of RBIs, while
Ben Kasparie and
Arcadio Martinez each drove in key runs as well.
On the mound,
Tate House earned the win after working 5.1 innings, striking out four and limiting Ave Maria to three runs.
Alex Pazos was sharp in relief, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings to close out the victory and secure the save.
Game Two – Ave Maria 2, Wayland Baptist 1
The nightcap turned into a pitchers' duel, with both teams locked in a scoreless battle after Wayland took an early 1–0 lead in the first inning on a solo home run from Toledo.
Wayland's pitching staff kept the Gyrenes off the board through five innings, as starter
Branin Seibert turned in an impressive outing, striking out 11 batters across six innings while allowing just four hits. Despite the strong performance, Ave Maria broke through in the sixth inning with a two-run rally, producing the only scoring of the game for the home team.
The Pioneers had chances late, including aggressive baserunning and extra-base hits, but were unable to push across the tying run.
Garrett Moseley provided steady relief over the final two innings, keeping Wayland within striking distance.
Up Next
The Pioneers will wrap up their opening weekend four-game series against Ave Maria on Saturday, January 24
th, when they play another doubleheader against the Gyrenes. Game one of the doubleheader will begin at 12:00 PM ET.
