OKLAHOMA CITY – In the midst of a 12-game home stand, the Mid-America Christian softball team will look to stay unbeaten as the Evangels will host Southwestern (Kan.) for a Friday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. at Jack Allen Field.
LAST TIME OUT
Mid-America Christian (4-0) dominated Sterling in a home twin billing on Monday, topping the Warriors in a pair of six inning affairs 9-1 and 10-2.
In the opening game, senior starter McKenzie Smith twirled a gem in the circle, tossing six innings and giving up just one earned run on four hits, two walks and a season-best six strikeouts. Meanwhile, senior catcher Hannah Salmon was unstoppable from the plate, slashing 3-for-3 while driving in five RBIs with a pair of runs scored along with a walk.
In the nightcap, the Warriors challenged the Evangels after the second inning, closing the gap to 4-2 going to the bottom of the fifth. However, MACU poured it on, scoring a run in the fifth and ending it with five runs in the sixth to come away with the 10-2 victory.
Sophomore starter Adrienne Phillips recorded her second win of the season after throwing all six innings and giving up just one earned run on six hits, a walk and a strikeout.
Salmon and Jessica Holt each recorded three hits by going 3-for-4 in the contest as Salmon recorded two RBIs while Holt finished with two runs and an RBI.
SCOUTING THE MOUNDBUILDERS
Southwestern will make its way into Friday's twin bill with a 1-3 record after playing a pair of MACU's Sooner Athletic Conference rivals. The Moundbuilders opened the season with a neutral site split over Langston, dropping the opener 3-1 before bouncing back with a 5-4 victory to split. SC followed it up with a pair of slugfest losses at home to Central Christian, falling 13-10 and 19-8 on Tuesday.
Sophomore outfielder Alexis Guyton has been the most efficient bat in the Southwestern lineup so far this season, batting .583 while scoring the second-most runs (4) to go with an RBI. Sophomore infielder Loren Wright has been the team's most prolific run producer so far this season, driving in a team-high five RBIs while ranking second on the team with a .467 batting average.
The Moundbuilders pitching has struggled mightily so far to start the 2020 season as senior Hannah Foltz has been SC's most effective pitcher, giving up a 6.85 ERA in a team-high 15.1 innings pitched within her four appearances. Foltz so far has walked five and struck out 11 while amassing a 1-1 record in the circle.
HISTORY WITH THE MOUNDBUILDERS
Mid-America Christian has fared well against Southwestern since moving up to the NAIA level as the Evangels possess a 12-4 record against the Moundbuilders since 2008. The last time the two teams met was during the 2018 season as MACU went on to win three-of-four combined between the home and away doubleheaders. The Evangels took a pair from SC on their home field on Mar. 10, 2018, coming away with 9-1 and 4-3 victories to complete the doubleheader sweep.
NOT BATTING LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER
Senior catcher and outfielder Hannah Salmon swung an incredibly hot bat in the doubleheader sweep over Sterling. In the two games combined, Salmon went 6-for-7 (.857) from the plate, driving in seven RBIs and scoring two runs. Her five RBIs in game one set a new career-high, surpassing her previous best of four set against Haskell Indian Nations on Mar. 19, 2018 and then matched against Texas Wesleyan on Apr. 20, 2019. After hitting .333 in the season-opening doubleheader against Crowley's Ridge, Salmon's batting average has skyrocketed to .615, tied for the team-high along with MACU leadoff hitter Jessica Holt.
STEPPING UP IN THE CIRCLE
As junior All-American starter Regan Martin is working her way back from an early season injury, senior McKenzie Smith and sophomore Adrienne Phillips have stepped up big time in the circle. Through two starts, Smith has amassed a 2-0 record while giving up a 1.64 ERA. In her 11 innings of work, Smith is giving up just a .158 opponent batting average while walking six and striking out a team-leading nine batters. Phillips has also been no slouch, also notching a 2-0 record as well as a save in her three appearances. The Little Axe, Okla. native currently owns a team-leading 1.50 ERA with a team-high 12 innings pitched. Phillips has had phenomenal command of the strike zone so far this season, walking just one all season so far.
