OKLAHOMA CITY – Saturday afternoon was a frustrating one for the Mid-America Christian University baseball team. The Evangels did not play well, but at the end of both games, MACU had a chance to win the contests. Unfortunately for MACU, they were unable to get a key hit, and they fell in both games to drop the weekend series.
MACU (12-25, 6-12 SAC) had Diego Pichardo at the plate in both games of the twin-bill with a chance to tie the game, but in both cases the Evangels' center fielder was retired, and Bacone (12-21, 7-11 SAC) held on for the victory. In game one, the Warriors took the win 6-5, and in the back half of the twin bill, the final score was 2-1.
The day did not start well for the Evangels, as Bacone plated three runs in the top of the first inning with the help of only one hit. The Warriors added an unearned run in the top of the second, and they threatened for more in the third when the Evangels went to the bullpen for Jake White. White picked up a pair of strikeouts to get out of a bases loaded jam and keep the game at 4-0, and he then proceeded to pitch three more scoreless innings while the Evangels tried to get their offense going.
MACU put runners aboard in each of the first five frames, but in four consecutive innings, the Warriors got MACU to hit into a double play and each time the twin-killing squelched a rally.
In the sixth frame, with MACU still trailing 4-0, the offense roared to life. Aaron Davis hit a leadoff home run on a 2-0 pitch that got the Evangels on the board, and Antonio Dorado followed with a long homer to right on an identical 2-0 count. Pichardo reached on an error, and he moved up to second on a failed pickoff throw that went wild. Felix Martinez singled him to third, and Luis Sanchez hit a sacrifice fly to pull MACU to within one at 4-3 with only one out, but Martinez was caught stealing second, and after a walk to Logan Gipson, Junior Aracena flied out to right to end the threat.
Bacone tallied a pair of runs in the top of the seventh frame, but the Evangels battled back again in the bottom half. Raymond Rodriguez hit a one-out single back up the middle, and after a Davis fly out, Dorado clubbed his second round-tripper of the game to pull MACU to within one again at 6-5. Pichardo came to the plate representing the tying run, but he was retired on strikes, and the Warriors held on to win the game 6-5.
Gage Staiger (3-7) pitched five and one-third innings and allowed three runs on seven hits, one walk, and one strikeout to earn the win. Reid Wall (2-1) lasted two and one-third innings, and gave up four runs on two hits, four walks, and four strikeouts in taking the loss. Cameron Ball (1) earned the first save of the year for the Warriors, despite a shaky outing. He gave up two earned runs on two hits in an inning and two-thirds with one walk and two strikeouts.
Dorado homered twice in three trips with two runs and three RBIs, Gipson singled and doubled with a walk, and Rodriguez and Martinez each singled twice. The only other hit for MACU was the homer from Davis, and MACU out-hit Bacone in the game 9-6.
Bacone jumped on top early in game two as well. Corben Henry led off the game with a double, but MACU starting pitcher Ben Donnell nearly worked his way around it. Donnell struck out Justin Wilson, induced a groundout from Alex Dominguez, and struck out Kyle Winstead, but on the second strikeout the ball skipped far enough away from MACU catcher Axel Poesmans to allow Winstead to reach and Henry to score as Bacone claimed the 1-0 lead.
For the next five and a half innings, Donnell and Kyler Johnston locked up in a pitchers' duel that saw 10 straight zeroes go up on the scoreboard. During that stretch, only Gipson reached third base for either team, and he did so twice for the Evangels, but both times he was stranded there, and the game headed to the seventh with Bacone still clinging to a 1-0 lead.
A sacrifice fly for Henry in the top of the seventh scored Hector Chirinos to double Bacone's lead, but again in the bottom of the inning, MACU came back. Rodriguez homered on a 2-2 pitch with one out in the inning, pulling MACU to within one and giving the Evangels two chances to tie the game with one swing. Poesmans struck out, and with two down, Dorado looped a single into center field, bringing Dorado to the plate representing the winning run. For the second straight game, though, Dorado struck out, and the Warriors took the game 2-1, the double-header sweep, and the weekend series.
Johnston (4-4) threw a complete game and yielded one earned run on seven hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Donnell (4-2) took the tough luck loss, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with two walks and eight punch outs.
Dorado singled twice in the game, and Gipson was 3-for-3 including his 18th double of the season which tied the MACU single season mark set a year ago by Jerry McNew.
MACU will return to the field on Thursday for a crucial home game against SAC rival Southwestern Christian University (21-12, 10-8 SAC). First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. as the Evangels wrap up a 17-game homestand.
