OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Mid-America Christian University Evangels broke through offensively in rallying from four runs down to win 9-5 at the Oklahoma Christian Eagles in the opener of a three-game series Thursday evening (Apr. 26) in OKC.
The Evangels got behind early when a two-run double by Jerry Owen helped the Eagles put three runs on the board in the first inning.
After OC scored again in the bottom of the third to go up 4-0, the Evangels got on the board on an RBI double by
Luis Martinez in the fourth and then jumped ahead in the fifth as the first three batters reached and a two-run single from
Andrew Smith capped a five-run inning.
It was a 6-5 advantage when Martinez doubled to lead off the seventh and scored on a single by
Dustin Carlsward for a valuable insurance run.
The Evangels then gained some more breathing room as
Kory Palmer led off the ninth with a double and Martinez followed that by reaching after he was hit by a pitch.
Kevin Parsons then attempted to sacrifice bunt both runners over, but reached on an error that scored both runs and made it a four-run cushion.
Mat Owen continued his solid outings by blanking the Eagles over the final 3 1/3 innings on only two hits in relief of
Grant Zimmerman, who allowed four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Kory Palmer sparked the Evangels offense with a 3-of-5 effort at the plate with one RBI. Smith and
Kevin Parsons each drove in a pair of runs for MACU.
The Evangels will wrap up the series by hosting the Eagles for a doubleheader Saturday afternoon (Apr. 28) beginning at 1 p.m. at James Curtis Field.
