CHICKASHA, OK: The 23rd ranked and third seeded Texas Wesleyan University Baseball team (36-16) could not overcome a late barrage from 8th ranked and second seeded University of Science & Arts (44-6) in semifinal action at the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament on Sunday. The Drovers put nine runs on the board after the seventh inning to pull away for a 12-3 win.
The Rams were making their third consecutive appearance in the SAC Semifinals. Last season they found themselves in the exact same situation, needing a pair of wins at USAO, and they were able to reach the SAC Championship game. This season, they could not overcome a late rally from the Drovers.
Eight of USAO's twelve runs came with two outs including a 6-run outburst in the eighth inning.
The Drovers got on the board in the top of the first with a two-out RBI single from Greg Barnette.
In the third,
Joseph Barfield led off with a single, moved to second on a sac bunt from
Michael Davila, and tied the game when he scored on a single from
Donnie Lopez.
Coleton Horner put the Drovers back on top with a solo homer in the sixth, but
Jacob Barfield walked in the bottom of the inning and scored on a two-out single from
Julio Ibarra.
The Drovers regained the lead in the seventh when they took advantage of an error to load the bases with no outs.
Corley Huffstickler came on in relief and limited the damage to just one run.
Unfortunately, things got away in the eighth. With two outs and one on, USAO proceeded to score six runs thanks largely to a pair of two-run homers from PJ Garcia and Barnette.
A three-run homer from Miguel Lorenzo in the ninth put the game well out of reach. The Rams got a solo homer from
Michael Davila in the bottom of the ninth to account for the 12-3 final score.
Steven Yancey (8-5) took the loss after allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits while striking out six in six innings. Stephen Wright (5-1) allowed a pair of runs on six hits in six innings to pick up the win.
Lopez (2-for-4) and Ibarra (2-for-3) each had a pair of hits for the Rams.
The Drovers advance to Monday's SAC Championship game where they will meet fifth ranked Oklahoma City who defeated Southwestern Christian University twice on Sunday.
The Rams await a possible at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round. The field of 45 teams, comprised of nine five-team double elimination tournaments will be announced Thursday, May 10, at 3:00 p.m. on the
NAIA Facebook page.
Texas Wesleyan is looking to make its third consecutive appearance in the National Tournament Opening Round and their sixth appearance since the NAIA went to the opening round format in 2009.
Ramblings
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Kiki Menendez set a new Texas Wesleyan single season record with 26 home runs after blasting three against Bacone in an elimination game on Friday. That three-homer game tied the SAC Tournament record. Menendez joined Oklahoma Baptist's Colt Bickerstaff (2015) as the only players to hit three home runs in a single tournament game. Seventeen players have hit two home runs in a tournament game, including Menendez last year and Texas Wesleyan's
Dakota Lee in 2014.
- Texas Wesleyan defeated USAO 8-4 and 14-9 in the semifinals last season to reach the title game. Those semifinals were also played in Chickasha.
- The Rams have scored at least 10 runs 21 times this season (including five of their last seven games) and are 19-2 in those games.
- Texas Wesleyan is now 9-10 all-time in SAC Tournament play.
- USAO's win gives the Drovers a 12-11 lead in the all-time series with the Rams.
