FORT WORTH, TX - No. 17 Texas Wesleyan Baseball (13-7) had a battle on its hands with Arlington Baptist (0-11) hungry for its first win Monday afternoon. The Rams, calmly and with ease scored nine runs in the eighth inning to run-rule the Patriots on a picture-perfect day for baseball at Sycamore Park.
Momentum flopped into TXWES' lap with a thud when
Trey Smith came in to pinch hit at the bottom of the lineup with bases loaded. Smith crushed a shot over the left-field fence - the fourth different home run of the day - to put Arlington Baptist in the rearview mirror.
Tanner Amaral,
Michael Higgins and
Kevin Santiago Zamora also homered - all over the left-field wall wear the wind was aggressively blowing most of the day. Higgins' shot to left was such a smack, the outfielder never moved, knowing any step he took would be insignificant. The ball was lost over the scoreboard and into the trees.
It was Smith's third home run of the season and provided a much needed sigh of relief for the Rams dugout. While the Patriots never put together a clear plan to truly threaten the Rams - at no point did they ever have the advantage - Arlington Baptist was within striking distance late and had an opportunity to claim an exceptional victory for the resume. Pitching was the undoing. After Jacob Goree gave it all he had - 103 pitches and four strikeouts, giving up four runs in six innings - the bullpen's lack of depth made a mess of the eighth frame, walking six batters, pegging Higgins to score a run with bases loaded and giving up the final run of the game thanks to a wild pitch that scored
Marcos Sanchez from third.
In that devastating eighth frame, TXWES scored nine runs on a mere two hits. Texas Wesleyan worked well in tight spots defensively, stranding 12 Patriots on base in the shortened nine-inning matchup, the second of the season between the two squads. The Rams won the first meeting, 18-3.
Arlington Baptist dinked and dunked its way to opportunities with nine singles, but no doubles, triples or home runs despite the gusty conditions blowing out. Eight of the Rams 11 hits were at least the double variety.
Justin Ward got the win on the mound with his two innings of work without surrendering a run or a hit.
Sooner Athletic Conference play begins Friday with a three-game series against Southwestern Christian starting with a 1 p.m. Friday doubleheader. The Eagles are 11-5, one of seven teams over .500 in the SAC during non-conference season. Nine teams are competing for the Sooner crown in 2020.
