DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas – Despite the Mid-America Christian baseball team's series against Huston-Tillotson getting moved to Dripping Springs, Texas due to hazardous field conditions, the move brought out the best in Evangels ace Keisy Portorreal. The redshirt senior righty tossed a complete game shutout, leading MACU to a doubleheader sweep by scores of 6-0 and 5-2 over the Rams on Friday afternoon.


GAME ONE

Portorreal took the ball in the opening game and set the tone immediately. The Santiago, Dominican Republic product threw seven shutout innings, giving up just four hits and a walk while striking out seven. The shutout marked the first of the season for Portorreal and the fifth of his Evangels career after notching four during the 2018 campaign.

Mid-America Christian (7-2) tallied its first run of the game in the top of the second. After Felix Martinez reached on a leadoff walk and Colin Minor slapped a single to shallow left, Joshua Fernandez drove in Martinez on an RBI single up the middle to make it a 1-0 game.

In the fourth, Fernandez drove in his second of the ballgame with an RBI single to shallow center to score Jaily Paredes from third, extending the MACU edge to 2-0.

The game was still tight until a big four-run seventh inning helped the Evangels get some insurance runs. A Huston-Tillotson (4-4-1) error allowed Brandon Reese to score from third and a Paredes two RBI single to left pushed Edgar Martinez and Yan Ely Adames home to extend the advantage to 5-0. Felix Martinez finished off the MACU scoring with an RBI double to deep left-center, scoring Paredes to ultimately close out the 6-0 victory.

Mid-America Christian scored its six runs on nine hits and committed one error while Huston-Tillotson tallied just four hits and committed one error.

Paredes led the Evangels bats, going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored while Fernandez also finished 2-for-3 with two driven in.


GAME TWO

Huston-Tillotson (4-5-1) captured the early momentum in the second game. In the bottom of the second, J. Scotty Olivo hit an RBI groundout to second off Mid-America Christian (8-2) starter David Lechuga to make an early 1-0 Rams advantage.

The Evangels didn't get the run back until the top of the fourth. With the bases loaded, Minor knocked a single to shallow left, scoring Adames from third to lock the game up at 1-1.

HTU got the lead back in the bottom of the fifth when Ulises Nunez smashed a double to deep center to score Caleb Rodriguez, setting the score back into the Rams favor at 2-1.

In the top half of the sixth frame, the Evangels captured the lead for good. With two outs, Felix Martinez drew a walk and stole second, setting up a game-tying RBI double by Minor to make it a 2-2 game. In the next at-bat, pinch hitter Cameron Matherly knocked a single to shallow center to score Minor, bringing the score to 3-2 for MACU.

Huston-Tillotson threatened in the bottom of the sixth by getting runners to second and third with no outs, but MACU closer Bernardo Moreno thwarted the threat by recording back-to-back strikeouts and the big hurler was able to catch HTU's Myles Wiltz trying to steal home in a 1-2-5 putout to get out of the inning unscathed.

The Evangels added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Leonel Bejaran-Specht and Reese each reached home on back-to-back wild pitches, extending the MACU advantage to 5-2.

The Rams once again threatened in the fifth by loading the bases with only one out, but Mid-America Christian finished the game in-style as Moreno was able to induce HTU's Tyrone Thomas into grounding into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

The Evangels scored their five runs on seven hits and committed three errors while the Rams scored their pair on eight hits without committing an error.

Minor was the big bat for the Evangels in game two, batting 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run.

Frank Souza picked up his first win in a MACU uniform in relief, throwing 1.2 innings and giving up one earned run on three hits with no walks and a pair of strikeouts. Moreno earned his third save of the season after throwing two shutout innings, giving up just one hit and one walk while punching out three.

Mid-America Christian will look to win its third consecutive series on Saturday as the Evangels will wrap-up the four-game slate against Huston-Tillotson with a doubleheader slated for a noon first pitch.