MCPHERSON, Kan. --- The Wayland Baptist Pioneers mounted a dramatic late rally but ultimately came up just short on Saturday afternoon, falling 7–6 to Central Christian in a walk-off finish in McPherson, Kansas. With the loss, the Pioneers suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the Tigers.
Central Christian jumped out early, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning behind a pair of two-run home runs. Despite the early deficit, the Pioneers responded quickly and steadily chipped away at the lead.
Wayland Baptist got on the board in the second inning when
Arcadio Martinez drove in
Christian Toledo, cutting the deficit to 4–1. The Pioneers continued to close the gap in the third as
Rafaeleduardo Garcia lifted a sacrifice fly to score
Raphael Beltre, and
Adonis Bernal followed with an RBI groundout to bring home
Cesar Ibarra, trimming the margin to one run.
The Tigers added two runs in the fifth to extend its lead to 6–3, but the Wayland bullpen helped keep the Pioneers within striking distance.
Wellington Vargas delivered four strong innings of relief, allowing just two hits while striking out three to stabilize the game and give the offense a chance to rally late.
That opportunity came in the ninth inning. Trailing by three, Wayland Baptist sparked a comeback when
Christian Toledo singled to start the inning and later scored on an RBI groundout from
Adrian Lara. With two runners still aboard,
Cesar Ibarra delivered the biggest swing of the day, ripping a two-run triple to right center that tied the game at 6–6.
However, the Tigers answered in the bottom half of the inning. After two batters were hit by a pitch to open the frame, Central Christian advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt before a sacrifice fly brought home the winning run, handing the Pioneers a narrow 7–6 loss.
Ibarra led the Wayland Baptist offense with a 2-for-5 performance, two RBIs, and the game-tying triple. Bernal also collected two hits and drove in a run, while Toledo scored twice and reached base three times. Martinez and Lara each added an RBI for the Pioneers.
Wayland Baptist totaled seven hits in the contest and played error-free defense, but Central Christian's early power surge and late walk-off proved to be the difference. The loss moves the Pioneers to 18–11 on the season.
The Pioneers will return home on Friday, March 20
th, when they open a three-game set against the Science & Arts Drovers. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday with Game One set to begin at 3:00 PM.
