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Pioneer Baseball |
PIONEERS' SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE
About 30 minutes prior to Saturday night’s regular season finale at Wilder Field, the Wayland Baptist Pioneers learned that their contest against Lubbock Christian would, in fact, be the final game of the 2007 season. Northwestern Oklahoma State University won two of three games from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma to capture the final spot in next week’s Sooner Athletic Conference tournament. With that disappointment in the back of their minds, the Pioneers fell to the 14th-ranked Chaparrals 5-1.
"I am really proud of the fact that we were in the final weekend of the season with something to play for, given all the adversity we went through this year,” said head coach Brad Bass. “These last three weeks the guys competed hard and battled with everything that they had.”
Prior to the game’s first pitch, eleven senior Pioneers were honored in an emotional ceremony. One of those seniors was starting pitcher Darren Davis, who established a new strikeout mark this year.
The Clovis, NM native struck out four LCU batters in his final appearance as a Pioneer, giving him 110 for the season. In his two years at WBU, Davis struck out 198 hitters, moving him into fourth place in Wayland history.
Davis took the loss in the game, giving up five runs on nine hits over eight-and-one-third-innings. Another senior, Mike Irby of Claude, Tex., came in to get the final two outs in the top of the ninth.
On the other side, seven Chaparral pitchers held the Pioneers to just four hits, recorded 14 strikeouts, and walked just one Wayland batter. Eric Brown’s lead-off triple in the second inning resulted in the team’s lone run when Matt Knobbe hit a sacrifice fly to right field.
WBU had only two baserunners in the final seven innings. Knobbe singled to center in the fifth, and pinch hitter Blake Burrow drew a lead-off walk in the eighth.
Senior Adam Jones got the win for the Chaps, striking out the side in his one inning of work. Raymond Ravago had two hits for the visitors, including a double in the fifth. Clay Britton and Karlton Banks also had two hits a piece for LCU, which ends the regular season 33-13 and 18-3 in the SAC.
The Pioneers finish the season with a record of 21-18 and 6-15 in conference play.
