BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - Under cloudy skies and in the chill of late February, the Mid-America Christian University softball team hit the roadfor their first road games of 2019. The Evangels were competitive all day, but walks proved to be crucial late in game one of their double header at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, and the Evangels had to settle for a split.
MACU (3-1) rapped out 26 hits in the two games, but MACU pitching allowed six walks in the two games as OKWU (3-8) took game eone 6-5 before MACU rebounded to win the back half of the twin bill 7-5.
Brittany Ward and Jesica Holt picked up RBIs in the top of the second inning of game one to give MACU the 2-0 lead - Ward on a sacrifice fly and Holt on a base hit - but OKWU answered quickly with two runs in the bottom half of the frame to tie the score. In the third, Hannah Salmon (1) and Larie Amos (1) each belted homers as MACU surged out to a 5-2 lead, but again, the Eagles were able to answer and tie the game in the bottom of the inning.
MACU threatened to reclaim the lead in the top of the 6th when Amos led off with a double, but after a sacrifice from Ward moved her to third, Caitlin Butler was called out for being out of the box when she hit the ball, and Holt flied out to right field to strand the go ahead run at third. The Eagles capitalized right away, as they loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth, and though the Evangels limited the rally to a single run, it was enough to give OKWU the 6-5 win.
OKWU scored six runs on 11 hits without an error, and MACU tallied five runs on 11 hits with one defensive miscue.
Alex Hernandez (2-0) earned the win in relief, tossing three shutout innings and yielding only four hits. Regan Martin (1-1) took the loss despite throwing a complete game. Martin gave up six runs - five earned - on 11 hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Amos and Amber O'Bryant each had three-hit games, Amos doubled twice, homered, and scored two runs, while O'Bryant had three singles and one run. Hannah Salmon also homered and drove in two, and Hanna Harris had a double.
In game two, MACU surged to an early lead again. Ribbin Anderson led off the game with a triple, and Harris drove her in with a ground out to give MACU a 1-0 lead, and in the second frame, Anderson lofted a sacrifice fly to left that scored Alanna Leisy and doubled the Evangels' lead.
MACU added two more runs in the top of the fifth to take a 4-0 lead, and though OKWU answered those two runs in the bottom of the frame, MACU pushed across three more in the sixth to grab a 7-2 advantage headed to the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Eagles took advantage of three walks in the bottom of the sixth inning to claw back to within two at 7-5, but Caitlin Butler came in to pitch the seventh and slammed the door, striking out two of the three batters she faced and earning the save with a 1-2-3 inning.
MACU tallied their seven runs on 15 hits with one error, and OKWU plated five runs on eight hits with three errors.
McKenzie Smith (2-0) earned the win, tossing five and one-third innings and allowing four earned runs on six hits and three walks. Butler (1) pitched a clean seventh inning to earn the save, and she struck out two, Hernandez (2-1) gave up thr first run of the ballgame, and even though she only pitched one inning and gave up just the one run, because OKWU never tied the game, she was saddled with the loss.
MACU will resume their suspended game against Central Christian College of Kansas (1-2, 0-1) on Friday morning at 11 a.m. The Evangels will be batting in the bottom of the third inning in a 2-2 tie when play is resumed.
