WINFIELD, Kan. – The Mid-America Christian University baseball team headed north for their 2018 regular season finale on Monday, playing a single game as a make-up of what was originally scheduled as a double-header back on February 20. The Evangels took on the Southwestern (Kan.) College Moundbuilders in a game that was closely contested throughout, as both teams utilized a bullpen day on the mound.
MACU (20-33) took the victory from the Moundbuilders (20-24) by a final count of 6-3 to reach the 20 win plateau for the third time under head coach Adrian Savedra.
MACU struck first in the top of the third inning, when Antonio Dorado singled, and Diego Pichardo followed with a double to put runners on second and third with nobody out. After a ground out, Luis Sanchez singled home both runners to put MACU on top 2-0. Sanchez scored after consecutive two-out base hits from Raymond Rodriguez and Kevin Lentzner, and after three innings, MACU led 3-0. Dorado singled home Trey Jackson in the top of the fourth to push the lead to 4-0, but Southwestern began to rally.
The Builders scored a run on back-to-back singles in the fourth, and in the fifth, Southwestern scored twice on one hit and four walks, but MACU stopped the bleeding with the bases loaded and held onto the 4-3 lead.
Dorado doubled to left in the top of the sixth to knock in Jackson again, and Pichardo followed with an RBI single to push the Evangels' lead to 6-3, and that proved to be all the scoring in the game.
Alexander Flores (1-0) earned the win for the Evangels, as he allowed one earned run on three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts in two innings of work. Jacob Gotchall (0-2) took the loss for Southwestern.
Dorado had four hits including a double, he scored twice, and he had an RBI as well. Pichardo singled and doubled; and Sanchez, Rodriguez, Lentzner, and Axel Poesmans each had two singles.
MACU will open the 2018 Sooner Athletic Conference postseason tournament on Friday, May 4 at 11 a.m. The Evangels will be the No. 8 seed in the tournament, playing in a pool at Oklahoma City University. The Evangels will face the host Oklahoma City Stars (42-5) in the first game of the tournament.
