OKLAHOMA CITY – For the first three innings of their game on Thursday afternoon, the Mid-America Christian University baseball team looked as though they might pull their second upset of a top-5 team of the season. In the fourth frame, however, the afternoon went off the rails.
MACU (13-6, 5-2 SAC) held a 3-2 lead heading to the fourth frame over #3 Oklahoma City University (12-1, 3-0 SAC), but the Stars took control in the fourth and they scored 12 of the final 13 runs of the day as the Stars took the victory from the Evangels 14-4.
OCU put together three straight one out hits in the top of the first inning, including a pair of doubles, to take a 2-0 lead, but MACU starting pitcher Seth Keith managed to escape the frame without further damage, and MACU began to rally. Felix Martinez chopped a two-out infield single in the bottom of the first to get the Evangels on the board, and MACU scored single runs in each of the first three innings to take a 3-2 lead after three innings of play.
OCU, however, began to flex their muscle in the fourth. Daniel Costello launched a lead-off home run in the fourth frame, and three batters later, Garrett Foster belted a two-run shot as a part of a 4-run inning that saw OCU claim the lead 6-3.
OCU's Bryce Milligan settled in on the mound in the middle innings, and he kept the Evangels' offense off balance, retiring the last 12 men he faced, and at the same time, OCU's offense was opportunistic, plating two runs in the fifth on a homer from Elliott Cary, and three in the sixth to take a commanding 11-3 lead.
Antonio Dorado belted his fourth homer of the year for MACU in the bottom of the seventh off OCU reliever Tanner Andrews, and the Evangels put the next two runners on base to bring Luis Sanchez to the plate. Sanchez hit the third pitch of his at-bat right on the screws, but he hit it right at OCU left fielder Quinton Walbergh to end the threat. OCU added three in the top of the ninth, and the Evangels last six men went down in order as MACU's home winning streak was ended at four after the 14-4 loss.
Milligan (4-0) lasted six innings, and he allowed three earned runs on four hits, two walks and five strikeouts. MACU is the first team to have scored against Milligan this season. Keith (2-2) yielded six earned runs on six hits in four innings, and he was hit with the loss.
Dorado finished the afternoon 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, and two RBIs; and Sanchez was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles to extend his on-base streak to 19 games. Junior Aracena scored twice, Abdiel Quinones tallied a run, and Felix Martinez had an RBI as well.
MACU and Oklahoma City will finish their series on Saturday afternoon when the two teams get together at Jim Wade Stadium on Oklahoma City's campus for a twin bill. Game time for game one of the double dip is slated for 1 p.m.
