FORT WORTH, TX - In game one on Friday, Wiley College secured a 5-2 victory over Texas Wesleyan.
The Wildcats took an early lead in the first inning when Ivan Del Villar singled to center field, bringing in Eddie Garza. They extended their lead in the third inning with Del Villar's double and later capitalized on a passed ball, resulting in a 3-0 advantage.
In the fourth inning, Ryan Ready's single to left field brought in another run, making it 4-0 in favor of Wiley.
The Rams managed to get on the scoreboard in the sixth inning when Hayden Hutchens homered to left center, narrowing the gap to 4-1.
However, Wiley responded in the seventh inning, with A. Mason stealing third and scoring on a throwing error, expanding their lead to 5-1.
TXWES fought back in the seventh inning, with TJ Tomlinson's double bringing in Conner DeLeon, but they couldn't overcome the deficit. The game concluded with a final score of 5-2 in favor of Wiley.
Pitcher Issac Burciaga from Wiley earned the win, allowing only one hit and no earned runs in four innings of work.
Noah Huerta, from Texas Wesleyan, suffered the loss. Del Villar secured the save, improving the Wildcats to a 2-4 overall record, while Texas Wesleyan's record dropped to 5-5.
In game two, Texas Wesleyan dominated Wiley with a 22-4 victory at Sycamore Park.
The Rams set the tone in the first inning when an error allowed Hutchens to reach first, scoring Tomlinson and giving TXWES an early lead. However, the real offensive explosion occurred in the second inning, highlighted by Jake Spencer's homer that brought in four runs, contributing to a commanding 9-0 lead.
The scoring spree continued in subsequent innings, with notable contributions from Ryan Flores, JL Bussieres, and Hutchens, who all played crucial roles in extending the lead. The fifth inning saw a remarkable display of power hitting, including a homeruns from Bussieres and Hutchens, leading to six runs in that frame.
On the pitching front, Texas Wesleyan's Tidwell and Bigham displayed solid performances, limiting the Wildcats to only four runs.
The victory improved Texas Wesleyan's record to 6-5, while Wiley (TX) fell to 2-5.
The Rams will next play at Sycamore Park on Sunday against Ave Maria University in the conclusion of play in the Texas Round-Up, with the first game scheduled to start at noon.
