WAXAHACHIE, Texas - The Mid-America Christian University softball team headed south on Tuesday to take part in the NCCAA regional tournament at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. The Evangels are the top-seed in the regional, and they were able to advance to the tournament's championship day.
MACU (32-18) fell in their opening game to the host SAGU Lady Lions (29-26), 5-0, but they bounced back in the nightcap to take out the Ecclesia College Royals (13-17) 9-1 in six innings. The win over Ecclesia was the 199th collegiate win for MACU head coach Robert Wakefield.
The Evangels gave the ball to Regan Martin in game one of the day, which saw MACU take on SAGU after the Lady Lions knocked off Ecclesia 5-0 in the tournament's opening game. Martin kept the Lady Lions at bay into the fourth inning, but in that frame, SAGU scored four runs - two of them unearned - to take an early lead. The Lady Lions added a run in the fifth, and the Evangels were unable to get the offense going as they fell 5-0.
Martin (16-7) gave up five runs - three earned - on six hits in five innings. She did not walk a batter in the loss, and she struck out two. The win went to Casey Waterman (21-15) who threw a six hit complete game shutout with a pair of strikeouts.
Hanna Harris had MACU's only extra-base hit in the game, her 19th double of the season, and Jessica Holt, Alanna Leisy, Hannah Salmon, Brittany Ward, and Martin each had a single in the game.
MACU came out and got things rolling early against Ecclesia. Jessica Holt drea a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first frame, and she came around to score when Amber O'Bryant laid down a sacrifice bunt and the ball was thrown into right field for a two base error. O'Bryant then scored on a ground out from Leisy, and in the second frame, Ribbin Dorado blooped a double into shallow left-center field. Dorado then scored when the ball was thrown away, and after two innings, MACU led 3-0.
Ecclesia scored a run in the top of the third, but in the bottom half, the Evangels put the game away. A walk and an error put O'Bryant and Leisy at first and second with no one out, them Harris singled and Salmon doubled to stretch the MACU lead to 5-1. Taylor Bankston picked up an RBI on a ground out, and Brook Hendrickson followed with a two-RBI triple to push MACU's edge to 8-1. The score remained unchanged into the bottom of the sixth inning when Dorado led off with a walk and stole second. She moved up to third on a ground out from Holt, and O'Bryant put down a bunt single to drive in the game ending run and give MACU the 9-1 win.
McKenzie Smith (10-5) earned the win for MACU in the circle. She allowed one earned run on six hits, two walks, and three strikeouts in six innings . The loss was charged to Ashtyn Rothrockwho gave up eight runs on five hits in three innings.
Harris singled twice in the game, and Dorado and Salmon each had doubles. O'Bryant and Dorado scored two runs apiece, and Hendrickson had a triple and two RBIs.
MACU will get another shot at SAGU in the regional championship on Wednesday. The title tilt is slated for Noon, with the if necessary game scheduled tentatively for 2:30 p.m.
