VICTORIA, Texas – The Mid-America Christian baseball team continued to swing some hot bats on Saturday as the Evangels picked up a huge doubleheader sweep over the University of Houston-Victoria, winning game one 19-10 before rallying for a 9-7 victory in game two.
With the sweep, Mid-America Christian (6-2) wins its second consecutive three-game series, taking three of four from Houston-Victoria (1-3). The Evangels are off to their first ever 6-2 start since moving up to the NAIA level in 2008. The previous best start for MACU was when it won five of its first six in the 2010 season, but lost five straight after that start.
GAME ONE
After a scoreless first inning, the Evangels opened the second inning with a bang. Evangels catcher Yan Ely Adames led off the frame with a double to center on the first pitch and Jaily Paredes immediately drove him in with a two-bagger down the right field line. In the very next at-bat, left fielder Felix Martinez returned to form with a two-run smash over the left field fence to give MACU the 3-0 lead.
Evangels starter Calvin Wimbush was able to dance around some trouble in the bottom of the second. After UHV's Amilcar Montanez led off the inning with a single, Wimbush was able to get Corben Henry to ground into a 6-3 double play and ended the frame two batters later with a fielder's choice out after the Jaguars got a runner on via an Evangels error.
Houston-Victoria got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the third, but then Mid-America Christian pieced together an incredible 13-run fourth. The Evangels loaded the bases for Grant Roberts, who knocked a two-RBI double to center to score Paredes and Felix Martinez to extend the lead back to 6-2.
MACU loaded the base once again for Edgar Martinez, who slapped a single to right to score Joshua Fernandez, extending the Evangels edge to five.
In his first at-bat, pinch-hitter Cameron Matherly drove in two more on a single to left, scoring Roberts and Leonel Bejaran-Specht to bring the score to 9-2. Adames drove in another on an RBI groundout in the following at-bat and three batters later, Joshua Fernandez drew a bases loaded walk to stretch the advantage to 11-2.
Batting for the second time in the inning, Roberts once again came up with a big bases loaded hit, smacking a double to center to score Paredes and Felix Martinez, bringing the score to 12-2.
Bejaran-Specht followed with a two-RBI double to right while Brandon Reese ripped an RBI double to left and Edgar Martinez slapped an RBI single to center to cap the scoring at 16-2.
The Jaguars were able to get four back in the bottom half of the fourth to set the score at 16-6, but MACU answered right back with three more runs in the top of the fifth on an Adames solo homer to left, a Joshua Fernandez RBI groundout and a Reese RBI infield single to third to make it a 19-6 Evangels edge.
Houston-Victoria was able to get three runs back in the bottom of the sixth and one more in the bottom half of the seventh, but it was too little, too late as the Evangels finished off the 19-10 victory.
Mid-America Christian scored its 19 runs on 20 hits and committed just one error while Houston-Victoria tallied its 10 runs on 11 hits with no errors.
Seven Evangels recorded multi-hit games, led by Paredes, who went 3-for-3 with a walk and four runs scored to go along with an RBI. Bejaran-Specht also notched a three-hit game on 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and two runs and Reese the leadoff hitter slashed 3-for-6 with two RBIs and a run.
Roberts was the big run producer in the MACU lineup, batting 2-for-3 with four RBIs off of two doubles and a walk, scoring a pair of runs as well.
Christian Ballard picked up the win in relief, throwing 1.1 shutout innings, giving up no runs with no hits or walks.
GAME TWO
The scoring came early and often in the nine-inning finale. The Evangels scored their first run in the top of the first as Adames drove a sacrifice fly to left to score Edgar Martinez to make it 1-0.
Houston-Victoria scored two runs in the bottom half of the frame, but MACU was quick to get the lead back in the top of the second.
After Oliver Fernandez and Edgar Martinez each drew a walk, Adames drove a two-RBI double to the right-center field gap as MACU reclaimed a 3-2 edge.
However, the Evangels lead wouldn't last as Houston-Victoria scored four runs in the bottom of the second to grab a 6-3 lead.
Senior reliever Bernardo Moreno came in relief in the third and shut down the Houston-Victoria bats, throwing three shutout innings, but Mid-America Christian also struggled to score over the next four innings as the Jaguars maintained their 6-3 lead until the seventh inning.
In the top half of the seventh, MACU was finally able to get to the Jaguars pen as Adames slapped a one-out double to left and Paredes crushed a deep two-run home run to right center to trim the deficit to 6-5.
An inning later, the Evangels were finally able to get the lead back. With runners on second and third and two out, Edgar Martinez came up with a clutch RBI single to left center to score Romi Rinehart and Reese to make it a 7-6 game.
Mid-America Christian tallied a pair of crucial insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Following a Paredes leadoff single, Felix Martinez crushed his second home run of the day on a deep fly to left, extending the Evangels edge to 9-6.
Houston-Victoria made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth as a leadoff single by UHV's Maxwell Sheldon followed by an RBI double by Caleb Zoda trimmed the MACU lead to two with nobody out.
However, Paredes was able clamp down by striking out two of the next three batters and with the tying run on first, was able to get UHV's big bat Luis Vargas to flyout to right center to end the ballgame.
Mid-America Christian racked up its nine runs on 10 hits and committed two errors while the Evangels limited Houston-Victoria's seven runs on 18 hits, but only one extra-base hit to go along with no errors.
Paredes was once again the Evangels hot bat, slashing 4-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs while Adames drove in three by going 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Felix Martinez came up with one of the biggest hits of the game in his 2-for-4 performance with a homer, a walk, two RBIs and run while Edgar Martinez batted 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs and a pair of runs.
The Evangels pen was on-point, as Moreno \ gave up just four hits and two walks while striking out four in his three innings of work. On top of producing with his bat, Paredes also picked up the win in relief, tossing four innings and sacrificing just one earned run on six hits, no walks and struck out five in four innings.
Mid-America Christian will return home on Tuesday, Feb. 11 as the Evangels will host Friends University for a 2 p.m. game at James Curtis Field.
