OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian baseball team is ready for its first road trip of the 2020 season as the Evangels will head to Victoria, Texas for a four-game series against the University of Houston-Victoria this weekend. MACU will open with a doubleheader on Friday, starting at 3 p.m. before wrapping up the series with a noon doubleheader on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
Mid-America Christian (3-1) opened the season by taking three of four games from Bethany College last weekend in its season-opening series.
Despite getting a stellar pitching performance from Frensly Leito in game one of the Jan. 31 doubleheader, the Swedes won in 10 innings by scoring the winning run on an error to come away the 1-0 win. Leito didn't earn a decision after throwing seven no-hit, shutout innings, giving up just two walks while striking out 12.
In the second game of the doubleheader, senior right fielder Romi Rinehart pushed across the game-winning run by slapping an RBI single to center to score Joshua Fernandez from second. Making his MACU debut, sophomore starter Ryan Wimbush picked up the win after throwing 4.1 shutout innings. David Lechuga pitched 2.1 strong innings of relief while Bernardo Moreno recorded the one-out save.
On Saturday, Feb. 1, redshirt senior starting pitcher Keisy Portorreal made his return to the mound after missing nearly the entire 2019 season due to injury. The 2018 NCCAA All-American tossed 5.1 innings and gave up just one earned run on six hits, a walk and four strikeouts to get the win. Moreno picked up his second save in as many days after throwing 1.2 innings, which included striking out the side in the seventh inning. After Bethany scored the game-tying run in the top of the fifth, the Evangels loaded the bases in the bottom half of the frame for freshman leadoff hitter Brandon Reece, who tapped an RBI groundout to short, beating out the relay on a double play to drive in the winning run.
The Evangels completed the series win in the second game of the doubleheader as the Evangels scored early and often. MACU crossed home plate four times through the first two innings before pulling away with the 7-2 win. Leonel Bejaran-Specht went 2-for-2 with a walk and three runs scored to go with three stolen bases while Yan Ely Adames drove in a pair of runs by going 1-for-2 from the plate.
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
Competing in its season-opener, Houston-Victoria is coming off an 18-30 campaign in 2019 and went 11-16 against Red River Athletic Conference competition.
Leading the UVH lineup will be senior right fielder Luis Vargas, who finished second on the team last season with a .346 batting average, ripping 13 extra-base hits with three homers and 33 RBIs to go with 30 runs. Senior third baseman Garrett Harrison is expected to be another one of the Jaguars top producers after going .331 from the plate with 27 RBIs and 28 runs.
Houston-Victoria is also bringing back its two top starters from a year ago in Bailey Kolb and Tyler Price. Kolb appeared in 16 games and made 13 starts, notching a 5.47 ERA with a team-high 53 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched. Price also made 13 starts last season, tallying a 7.18 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 72.2 innings.
HISTORY WITH THE JAGUARS
Mid-America Christian and Houston-Victoria will be facing each other for the first time in the NAIA era.
LEADING WITH LEITO
The Evangels will likely look to start out the four-game series with Frensly Leito taking the mound in game one. In his MACU debut last week, the Western Oklahoma State transfer became just the second pitcher in the NAIA era to record at least seven no-hit innings against Bethany. The last MACU pitcher to do so was Junior Obeso, who pitched a perfect game in a 13-0 victory over Central Christian on Apr. 9, 2016. Leito was named both the Sooner Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week and the NCCAA Pitcher Student-Athlete of the Week.
CAN'T BULLY THIS BULLPEN
Even though the Evangels were facing a Bethany team that averaged 5.5 runs per game in its season-opening series against Huston-Tillotson, the MACU bullpen completely shut down the Swedes bats. In the 12 innings worked by the Evangels pen, the relievers gave up just two runs, only one of which was earned on five hits to go along with 13 strikeouts. Evangels closer Bernardo Moreno picked up a pair of saves in two shutout innings of work, while David Lechuga was effective in long relief, sacrificing just two hits in four innings. Joshua Fernandez also tossed a pair of shutout innings while long reliever Frank Souza threw three innings, giving up just one unearned run to open the series.
