RAMS GET WIN #40
May 9, 2007

Box Score

HOUSTON, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University baseball team (40-9) took a 9-3 win over Wiley College (23-22) in an elimination contest at the NAIA Region VI Tournament on Wednesday.  The win was the 40th of the season for Texas Wesleyan, marking only the fifth time in the forty-year history of the program that the Rams have reached such a milestone.

After a disappointing performance in their first game of the tournament, the Rams controlled the game early on Wednesday.  Texas Wesleyan started the game with a single from Jason Diaz, a walk to Brandon Frazier, and a two-run double from Josh Vander Hey.

The Rams then strung together a two-out rally in the second.  Antoine Cole was hit by a pitch and went to third on a double from Diaz.  Cole then executed a straight steal of home, and Frazier plated Diaz with a triple into the right center gap.

Brandon Frazier singled and scored in the fifth, and Billie Hicks added an RBI single in the same frame.  Texas Wesleyan tacked on a sacrifice fly from Frazier in the seventh to bring the score to 7-0.

Meanwhile Texas Wesleyan’s starter, Weston Wood, was in cruise control allowing just four hits in 6.1 innings of work.

Wiley used four hits and a Texas Wesleyan error to plate three runs in the seventh.  The Rams got one of those runs back with a sacrifice fly from Taylor Miller in the top of the eighth.  Diaz later led off the ninth with a single to center and scored to bring the tally to 9-3.

Wood (8-0) earned the win after allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out five and walking just one.  Hayden Lackey closed out the game, going 2.2 innings and allowing one unearned run on three hits.

Charles Derkowski (4-2) allowed six runs on seven hits in five innings pitched.

Jason Diaz and Brandon Frazier, hitting one and two in the Rams’ batting order, combined to go 7-for-8 with two RBI and five runs scored.  Diaz was 4-for-5 with three runs scored, a double, and two stolen bases.  Frazier went 3-for-3 with two RBI, two runs scored, a triple, and two stolen bases.

The Rams advance to face Southern Nazarene University (35-20) at 12:30 p.m.  Five teams remain in the tournament.  Houston Baptist (37-17) is the lone unbeaten team while the Rams, SNU, Lubbock Christian (36-16), and Oklahoma City (50-10) each have one loss.