OKLAHOMA CITY - Friday was a gorgeous day for baseball in Oklahoma City, and the Mid-America Christian University Evangels welcomed the NAIA #12 University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma Drovers to James Curtis Field. The Drovers entered the twin bill as the #12 team in the NAIA Top-25 coaches' poll, and the Evangels earned a split on a walk-off single in extra innings in the series finale.
MACU (7-15, 3-8 SAC) beat the Drovers for the first time since 2011 on a walk-off line drive single from Junior Aracena in the bottom of the ninth inning, as MACU took game two 6-5. USAO (25-5, 8-3 SAC) won game one 4-2.
MACU opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning in the first game. Diego Pichardo singled back up the middle with one out in the inning, and Felix Martinez followed with an opposite field two-run homer to give MACU a 2-0 lead.
Ben Donnell took the baseball for MACU, and despite battling wildness, Donnell kept the Evangels in the lead and the Drovers off the board until the fifth frame. Donnell walked four men in the first four innings, but each time, the Evangels' senior southpaw managed to escape without damage. He picked off a runer in the first, got a double-play grounder in the second, and induced inning-ending groundouts to first in the third and fourth, and MACU carried the 2-0 lead into the top of the fifth.
Donnell gave up a leadoff homer in the fifth, but he had an opportunity to get out of the frame with the lead. Unfortunately an error led to an unearned run for the Drovers, and the game headed to the bottom of the fifth tied 2-2.
That score held into the top of the seventh, The Evangels tabbed Reid Bukowski to relieve Donnel before the inning, and Bukowski retired the first man he faced but he hit the next batter and USAO's Coleton Horner struck. Horner hit a line-drive two-run homer to right that gave the Drovers a 4-2 lead, and while Bukowski was able to get out of the inning without further damage, the Evangels faced the daunting task of having to score twice to tie the game.
Luis Sanchez led off the seventh with a single, and after a passed ball moved pinch runner Austin Cooper to second base, Raymond Rodriguez pinch hit and drew a walk. Romi Rinehart then pinch hit and tried to sacrifice the runners to second and third, but the bunt was too hard, and USAO got Cooper at third on the 3-5 fielder's choice. The play squelched any momentum MACU had, and the Drovers held on to win 4-2.
Matt Merrill (6-1) pitched the complete game for the Drovers, and he earned the win. He gave up four hits and two earned runs, he walked two and struck out 11. Bukowski (2-1) took the loss, allowing two earned runs on two hits in one inning of relief. Donnell tossed six innings and gave up two runs, one earned, on seven hits, five walks, and six strikeouts.
Felix Martinez had two of MACU's four hits in the game, as he homered and doubled in three trips to the plate.
MACU drew first blook again in game two as Felix Martinez doubled home Edgar Martinez with nobody out in the bottom of the first, and Sanchez notched an RBI ground out with one away to score Pichardo and give MACU the 2-0 lead.
Sanchez belted a lead off home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to push MACU's lead to 3-0, and the Evangels appeared to be on cruise control. USAO scored twice in the top of the fifth, but MACU's Arcangel Soto escaped the inning with the lead, and Aracena lofted a sacrifice fly to answer in the bottom of the frame.
After Soto set down the Drovers in order in the sixth, Edgar Martinez drove in Kevin Lentzner in the bottom of the inning to give MACU a 5-2 lead headed to the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, USAO mounted a rally. A lead off walk was followed by a line out to left field and a double to put runners at second and third with one out. The Drovers benefitted from a disputed call at first base to the next batter, and after the Evangels again turned to Bukowski, the Drovers rallied to tie the game at 5-5 and send it to extra innings.
Bukowski retired the three batters he faced in the top of the eighth frame, and while the Evangels got a lead-off single from Yan Ely Adames in the bottom of the inning, they were unable to move him into scoring position and the game continued to the ninth. In the ninth inning, MACU turned to Rinehart on the mound, and despite giving up a hit and a walk to start the inning, Rinehart got out of the jam and gave his team another chance in the bottom half. Pichardo reached on an error with one out, and he stole second base with Aracena at the plate, and Aracena followed with a sinking line drive to left field. USAO left fielder Luis Pelayo dove to try to make the catch, but he came up empty and the Evangels earned the walk-off win, 6-5.
Rinehart (1-0) earned the win in one scoreless inning of relief. The loss was charged to Rudy Gonzalez (1-2), who gave up three runs, one earned, on five hits and six strikeouts in five innings of relief.
Lentzner had an excellent game at the plate to lead MACU. He was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a run scored, and Edgar Martinez was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Aracena and Sanchez each drove in two runs, and Pichardo scored three times.
The Evangels will be back in action on Thursday, March 28, when they welcome the Bacone College Warriors (0-13, 0-11 SAC) to Oklahoma City for a single game at 1 p.m.
