PLAINVIEW, Texas. — The Oklahoma Panhandle State Baseball team (10-20, 3-14 SAC) played its first two games of the weekend Friday at reigning Sooner Athletic Conference regular season champion Wayland Baptist (25-11, 11-6 SAC), where the first game ended 7-6 and the second 5-2, with the Pioneers winning both.
WBU started off strong in both contests but was met with resistance from OPSU's bullpen, having to fight for every run scored. The Aggies battled back both games, limiting errors but being unable to get enough runners home.
Game 1: Wayland started off strong right off the jump Friday afternoon by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, but the Aggies refused to give up that early on.
As the teams headed into the third inning with the score of 4-0,
Alejandro Hernandez took advantage of a wild pitch scoring the first run of the game for the Aggies. Right behind him
Genesis Nunez doubled a ball into right field, getting
Israel Gandara home to bring the score to 4-2 as the game entered the fourth inning.
The Aggies' next big break came in the top of the fourth inning when
David Garcia hit a solo home run, moving his RBI total to double digits on the season. Feeding off the energy from the first five batters of the inning,
Jackson Somerville hit a single to center field, which allowed Hernandez to get his second run of the game.
With the energy high going into the seventh inning and the score tied, 5-5, OPSU was determined to finally get a lead in the game. Nunez drew a leadoff walk and soon found himself at third base following two wild pitches, and Zoilo Pimental stepped up and singled to left field to plate Nunez for the go-ahead run, 6-5 OPSU.
Unfortunately, the Pioneers notched a sacrifice fly before loading the bases in the seventh, walking it off on a fielder's choice to claim a 7-6 victory.
Braden Germundson tossed a scoreless sixth frame in relief, while Hernandez and Gandara led OPSU at the dish with a pair of base hits.
Game 2: Game two started just as game one did with WBU scoring the first five runs over three innings, but the Aggies kept the Pioneers in check thanks to an excellent relief outing from
Jesse Gonzales.
At the plate, OPSU's lineup was also held scoreless until Somerville tripled to begin the sixth inning. He was plated immediately on Nunez' two-run, opposite-field home run that brought the score to 5-2.
WBU's pitching staff and defense recovered, getting the outs required to sweep the doubleheader.
Gonzales worked three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to close the day, scattering two hits and a walk while striking out a pair of Pioneers.
What's up next: Aggie baseball is back Saturday at 1 p.m. to play Wayland for the final game of the series.
