April 23, 2008

Plainview, TX - The Wayland Baptist Pioneers picked up their 40^th win of the season and second baseman Brett Cook set a new school home run record in a 20-4 victory over Eastern New Mexico University on Monday afternoon at Wilder Field.  It is the third time in WBU history that a Pioneer baseball team has reached the 40-win plateau in a season.

 

Cook's solo home run with two outs in the third inning gave him 18 this spring, breaking the previous mark of 17.  In the fifth, the junior from Kearny, Ariz. drove an outside pitch into the bullpen in left for a grand slam, to set the mark at 19.  Cook finished the day 4-for-4 with a double, two homers and five RBI.

 

Shortstop Vinny Biancamano was 3-for-3 in the game with two homers and four runs batted in, while Eddie Allen, who also had four RBI, went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run.

 

The 11^th-ranked Pioneers had 19 hits with five doubles and six home runs in the game.  They have tallied 32 hits in their last two games with seven doubles, a triple, and 14 home runs. 

 

In Saturday's 13-5 Sooner Athletic Conference win over Northwestern Oklahoma State University, the first seven hits of the game for WBU were all home runs.  The homers-for-hits streak was snapped in the fourth inning when centerfielder Todd Jeffress hit a double against the wall in left centerfield.  The Pioneers blasted a school-record eight home runs in the game.