NAIA
[Baseball] Drovers Shutout Wayland Baptist to Advance in SAC Tournament
CHICKASHA, Okla. – Saturday afternoon, the No. 2 seed University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (34-12, 17-7 SAC) cruised to an impressive 10-0 victory in the SAC Tournament against No. 6 seed Wayland Baptist University (29-22, 9-15 SAC).With the win, the Drovers improve to 3-1 against the Pioneers this season, and hold a 36-14 advantage against WBU all-time. USAO has emerged victorious in 17 of the last 18 games between the SAC foes since May 9, 2016.After three scoreless innings to start off the game, the Drovers finally broke the scoreless tie with Peyton McDowall (JR/Cibolo, TX)'s solo-homerun in the bottom of the fourth inning. USAO pushed their lead to 5-0 with a quartet of runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by back-to-back homeruns from Gabriel Arroyo (SO/Arecibo, Puerto Rico) and Jake Womack (SR/Chickasha, OK). The Drovers tallied three runs in the seventh inning, followed by the final two runs in the eighth inning. With the 10-0 lead in the eighth, the game was called due to the "run-rule".Drew Shaver (JR/Sante Fe, TX) delivered a gem for the Drovers on the mound. Shaver pitched 8.0 shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out six batters. Shaver is now 9-2 this season, with a 2.79 earned run average and he has fanned 94 batters in 80.2 innings pitched. As a team, the Drovers strung together 11 hits, coming from six different players. Peyton McDowall led the way as he continued to hurt baseballs for fun, going 4-5 with his 12th homer of the season, in addition to a pair of doubles, three runs scored, and three runs batted in. He has recorded at least one hit in each of the last 10 games, and he has tallied 34 hits over the last 17 games played. During the 17-game stretch, he has pounded out 8 doubles and 6 homers. The hard-hitting first baseman is now batting .436 with 55 runs scored, 71 hits, 18 doubles, and 46 runs batted in.Gabriel Arroyo and Brock Henderson (JR/Chickasha, OK) each tallied a pair of hits. Arroyo extended his hit-streak to nine games as he went 2-5 with a double, a homerun, one run scored, and three runs batted in. Henderson finished 2-5 with a pair of singles. Jake Womack concluded 1-3 with a solo-homer and two runs batted in. Luis Pelayo (SR/Santa Cruz, Aruba) finished 1-3 with a double, two walks, and two runs scored, while Brandon Shumway (SR/Chickasha, OK) went 1-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored. Gage Gaunt (SO/Clinton, OK) walked, scored a run, and drove in a run. WHAT'S NEXT?On Saturday, May 8, the Drovers will once again face No. 6 seed Wayland Baptist University in the bracket final, with the winner advancing to the SAC Tournament championship game. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 PM CT at Bill Smith Ballpark. USAO needs just one win to advance to the championship, while the Pioneers would need to defeat the Drovers twice to advance. Stay up to date on all Science & Arts Athletics news by following us on our media platforms!Athletics Website: www.usaoathletics.comLive-stream: www.sacsportsnetwork.com/usao/YouTube: Drover AthleticsTwitter: @DroverAthleticsFacebook: @DroverAthleticsInstagram: @drover_athleticsGIPHY: www.giphy.com/USAODrovers