OKLAHOMA CITY – The 2018 season will go down statistically one of the most successful in Mid-America Christian University baseball program. It will also be remembered as one which could have been even better. On Saturday afternoon, the season came to a close as the Evangels were unable to make a late lead stick against NAIA #5 Oklahoma City University.
MACU (21-35) took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth frame, but OCU (45-6) rallied for four runs in the frame to take a 6-3 lead on their way to a 7-3 victory to advance to the Oklahoma City bracket's final day in the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament.
Ben Donnell and J.R. Holloway traded zeroes on the mound in the first three innings with both wiggling out of jams multiple times. In the fourth frame, OCU broke through on a one-out double from Branden Grieger that plated Elliott Cary to give the Stars a 1-0 lead, but Donnell got out of the frame without further damage, and the Evangels answered back.
Felix Martinez doubled to lead off the top of the fifth, and Luis Sanchez followed with an RBI base knock to tie the game at 1-1. Sanchez was still at second base with two outs when Raymond Rodriguez reached on an error from OCU's Garrett Foster, and Sanchez scored on the play, to give MACU a 2-1 lead. A passed ball moved Rodriguez to second, and Kevin Lentzner singled him home to cap the 3-run frame and MACU took a 3-1 lead to the bottom of the fifth.
Shaun Corso led off the bottom of the frame with a solo homer, but Donnell retired the next three men in order to preserve the advantage, but OCU continued the comeback in the sixth. Grieger lofted a two run homer with one out to give OCU the lead back, and before the inning was over the Stars had plated four runs to take a 6-3 lead. In the eighth, Caleb Davis singled home Corso with an insurance tally, and OCU took the win 7-3.
Craig Knoche (6-2) earned the win in relief of Holloway, pitching four and one-third innings of shutout relief and yielding only two hits and one walk while striking out three. Donnell (4-5) took the loss, allowing six runs, four earned, on eight hits in five and one-third innings, and he walked four to go with four strikeouts.
Felix Martinez was 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in the game, and Junior Aracena was 2-for-4 with a walk.
The loss ends the season for MACU. The Evangels broke seven individual single season records during the campaign, they tied another individual single season mark, and they set three team single season program standards. The Evangels also had four record-setting single-game performances, and two players moved into position as career record holders.
