OKLAHOMA CITY – Off to the best start in program history, the Mid-America Christian baseball team will be back on the road for a midweek non-conference doubleheader as the Evangels will travel to Wichita, Kan. on Tuesday to take on Friends University. The games will be played at the Rose Hill High School baseball field and the first contest is slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch.
LAST TIME OUT
Mid-America Christian (10-2) thorough dominated Huston-Tillotson (4-7-1) in its four-game sweep in Dripping Springs, Texas last weekend. Not only did MACU sweep the Rams, but the Evangels outscored HTU 29-2 in 28 innings. The Evangels outhit the Rams by a .309 to .184 margin as well as outpitched HTU by allowing a 0.79 ERA compared to 7.39 for Huston-Tillotson.
Evangels ace Keisy Portorreal twirled a gem in the series opening start, pitching a complete game shutout by allowing just four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts to lead the MACU to a 6-0 victory in game one.
The second game was by far the closest as the Evangels had to rally from a 2-1 deficit in the fifth inning. Colin Minor hit the game-tying RBI double in the top of the sixth and Cameron Matherly followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to give MACU a 3-2 lead. Mid-America Christian added some insurance runs in the seventh as Leonel Bejaran-Specht and Brandon Reese each scored on wild pitches to secure a 5-2 victory.
While MACU's performance were great in the Friday doubleheader, it was even more dominant on Saturday. The Evangels opened the day with an 11-0 victory that saw MACU starter Pedro Reyes nearly throw a no-hitter. The junior righty had a no-hitter going through six innings before giving up a lead-off single in the seventh. Reyes was relieved and earned the win after giving up just one walk to go with the hit while striking out eight. Reliever Joe Kolo saw his first action of the 2020 season in the seventh, throwing a complete inning and inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end it.
Felix Martinez swung the hot bat for MACU, going 2-for-3 with a homer, five RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Yan Ely Adames also batted 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run.
In the series finale, Ryan Wimbush pieced together his best start of the season, tossing six shutout innings and sacrificing just four hits and two walks to go with six strikeouts in the victory. Grant Roberts slashed 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBIs and a run while Joshua Fernandez added a homer after going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Friends will enter Tuesday's matchup with a 6-8 record and is coming off a 1-2 weekend in Chickasha, Okla. The Falcons played a pair of games against MACU's Sooner Athletic Conference rival, No. 3 Science & Arts, falling 11-1 on Friday and 10-0 on Saturday. However, Friends bounced back to win a neutral site matchup against Hastings College by a score of 7-0 Saturday afternoon.
Junior outfielder Wes Kuzminsky leads the Falcons bats, hitting for a .368 average with a team-high eight RBIs to go with seven runs. Senior first baseman Troy Puga is another tough out in the Friends lineup, batting .333 with a team-high two home runs and 12 runs scored to go with seven RBIs.
Senior righty has been the squad's ace so far during the 2020 campaign, recording a 6.97 ERA average in four starts, walking seven and striking out 11. Austin Egglestrom is the squad's best pitcher out of the pen, recording a pair of saves in six appearances. Egglestrom is giving up just a 2.31 ERA while striking out a team-high 14 batters and walking seven.
HISTORY WITH THE FALCONS
Since 2004, Mid-America Christian and Friends have split the series down the middle at 9-9. The last time the two teams met, the Falcons picked up an 8-2 win at James Curtis Field on Mar. 7, 2017. However, the Evangels were able to get the best of Friends in Wichita, Kan. the season prior, pitching a 12-0 shutout over the Falcons on Apr. 19, 2016. Evangels starter Zach Carley threw six shutout innings of two-hit ball while walking four and striking out three. MACU right fielder Jerry McNew was the big bat in the Evangels lineup, slugging 2-for-5 with a homer, four RBIs and two runs scored.
MAKING THEM EARN IT
The Evangels have put together an outstanding pitching staff thus far through the first 12 games of the season as MACU will enter Tuesday's doubleheader with the 23rd best earned run average in the NAIA at 3.10. Outside of the Houston-Victoria series, the Evangels have been outstanding from the mound, giving up two or fewer runs in all eight games against Bethany College and Huston-Tillotson.
Of the MACU starters, no one has shined brighter than former NCCAA All-American Keisy Portorreal. In his three starts, Portorreal is 2-0 and holds a 0.49 ERA while walking just four batters and striking out a team-high 18 in 18.1 innings of action. Of the relievers, senior hurler Bernardo Moreno has been sharp in his four outings, recording three saves and striking out 11 while walking just three in seven innings of action. Of the 13 Evangels pitchers that have seen action through the first 12 games, nine of them possess an under four ERA, including all four of MACU's regular starters.
FELIX IS FINDING IT
After a rocky start to his senior campaign, former NCCAA All-American Felix Martinez has been gradually finding his swing. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native struggled mightily in the season-opening series against Bethany, batting just .071 with a run against the Swedes.
Martinez was able to hit quite a bit better in the Houston-Victoria series, swatting .267 while ripping a pair of homers with five RBIs and six runs scored. Martinez followed it up with a phenomenal hitting performance against the Rams, batting 5-for-11 (.455) with a homer, six RBIs and three runs.
Martinez currently leads the team with three homers and 11 RBIs while improving his season batting average to .250.
