VICTORIA, Texas --- Wayland Baptist baseball wrapped up a busy day at Riverside Stadium with a hard-fought doubleheader, showing resilience in a narrow loss to Doane before bouncing back with a clutch victory over #20 Texas A&M–Victoria.
Game One – #17 Wayland Baptist (6) – Doane (8)
In the opener, the Pioneers battled throughout but came up just short in an 8–6 setback against Doane.
After falling behind early, Wayland responded in the bottom of the first when
Sinclair Pimentel launched a two-run home run to cut the deficit. The Pioneers continued to chip away, with RBI hits from
Cesar Ibarra,
Adonis Bernal, and
Rafaeleduardo Garcia helping tie the game at 4–4 in the fourth inning.
Pimentel finished with two hits and two RBIs, while
Arcadio Martinez and Garcia each collected two hits.
Despite out-hitting Doane 11–10, a pair of late two-run innings by the visitors proved decisive.
On the mound, Tyler House and William Vargas combined for six strikeouts as Wayland remained competitive until the final out.
Game Two – #17 Wayland Baptist (5) - #20 Texas A&M-Victoria (3)
Wayland responded in impressive fashion in the nightcap, earning a 5–3 win over A&M–Victoria to split the doubleheader.
The Pioneers struck first in the opening inning on a sacrifice fly by Martinez, then built a 3–0 lead in the fifth behind an RBI triple from Bernal and aggressive baserunning.
After A&M–Victoria tied the game in the bottom half of the fifth, Wayland showed poise in the seventh. With runners on base, Martinez delivered the decisive blow, driving in two runs with a single to right field to put the Pioneers back on top.
Martinez finished with three RBIs, while Bernal added a triple and an RBI. On the mound,
Branin Seibert turned in a strong start, and Gavin Moseley shut the door in relief to earn the win.
Up Next
The Pioneers will cap off their road-trip to Victoria with two games on Saturday, February 7
th. First, Wayland Baptist will take on #20 Texas A&M-Victoria at 12:00 PM followed by another game against Doane at 3:00 PM.
