After a disappointing start to the weekend, a well-rested Texas Wesleyan Rams (7-2) baseball team came out swinging to beat the MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers (1-6) by a score of 14-5. Down by two runs after two innings, the Rams scored ten runs in the third, taking a commanding lead, which they held the rest of the game.
Greyson Barrett drove the first run in at the top of the second inning with a double to left field, allowing
Jose Sosa to cross home plate. The Pioneers answered with three runs of their own, taking a two-run lead into the third inning. Their lead would be short-lived as the Rams were determined to turn their luck around.
TJ Tomlinson and
Tomas Sanchez led the charge at the top of the third inning with base hits. Both advanced on a wild pitch, allowing
Brandon Rincones to hit a two-run RBI single to begin the scoring streak.
Jose Sosa advanced Rincones with a single of his own, and
Greyson Barrett hit the Ram's only homerun, a three-run RBI, extending the Ram's lead 6-3. Hayden Hutchens added a single to the hit total and a stolen base to the dominant offensive display. Hutchins later scored on a Pioneer error. Tomlinson, Sanchez, and Rincones each added a single RBI to their hit totals for the inning, allowing
JD Padgett, Dylan Masada, and Tomlinson to score. The final run of the inning came as Sanchez stole home before Rincones was picked off in a pickle situation to end the explosive inning for the Rams.
The Rams would add three more runs in the fourth inning, with Sosa and Hutchens each hitting a single to get on base. Sosa scored on a
Manny Luna single RBI to center field, but Hutchens was thrown out at home when Padgett advanced to first on a fielder's choice. Padgett added a stolen base to his stats, and he and Luna scored on a Masada two-run RBI single for the game's final run for the Rams. Sosa would add another single to his hit total in the fifth inning for a game-high total of 4 hits.
Kade Baron pitched 4.0 innings and was credited with the win. Also taking the mound in support of the Rams victory were
Jansen Lublin,
Eugene Gay,
Jesse Garcia, and
Andrew Graham.
The Rams finish the weekend with an 11:00 am matchup against Louisiana Christian University on Sunday.
