SAN ANTONIO – After dropping a hard-fought 4-2 opening game against a high-profile opponent in Our Lady of the Lake, the Mid-America Christian team bounced back with a strong 6-4 victory in the second game of a Friday doubleheader at the Missions Baseball Academy.
 
GAME ONE
SCORE

• Our Lady of the Lake 4, Mid-America Christian 2
  • Mid-America Christian (3-2)
  • Our Lady of the Lake (2-6)

PITCHING DECISION

• Win: Alec Martinez (1-3)
• Loss: Luuk ter Beek (0-1)
• Save: Jacob Mitchell

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 3^rd – OLLU – Jacob Mitchell doubled to center, RBI; Robert Arredondo scored – OLLU 1, MACU 0
• BTM 3^rd – OLLU – Brandon Betancourt doubled to left, 2 RBI; Francisco Martinez scored; Jacob Mitchell scored – OLLU 3, MACU 0
• BTM 3^rd – OLLU – Tyler Vivier reached on error by ss, RBI; Brandon Betancourt scored – OLLU 4, MACU 0
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Isaiah Leon reached on an error by 3b, RBI; Amni Ortega scored – OLLU 4, MACU 1
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Yan Ely Adames hit a SAC fly to right, RBI; Isaiah Leon scored – OLLU 4, MACU 2

TOP PERFORMERS

• Amni Ortega – 2-4, 2B, R
• Yan Ely Adames – 1-3, RBI
• Luuk ter Beek – L, 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 SO

GAME SUMMARY

• Our Lady of the Lake was able to put together the first threat of the game by loading the bases with just one out in the bottom of the first, but MACU starter Luuk ter Beek was able to induce a shallow fly to short and a groundout to the mound to end the OLLU scoring threat.
• The Saints only scoring frame came in the bottom of the third, pushing across four runs in the frame. Following a Robert Arredondo leadoff single and a ter Beek strikeout, Julian Mitchell smashed a double to center to score Arredondo and make it a 1-0 OLLU lead.
• After Francisco Martinez drew a walk in the next at-bat, Brandon Betancourt hammered a double to left to score both Mitchell and Martinez to bring the score to 3-0. Betancourt came around to score on the ensuing at-bat as he scored on an error by shortstop Austin Wood to make it a 4-0 game.
• Being held in-check for most of the game, the Evangels bats came alive in the sixth. After Amni Ortega slapped a leadoff double to start the frame, he came around to score when Isiah Leon reached on an error by the Saints third baseman, closing it to a 4-1 deficit.
• After getting runners to first and third with one out, Yan Ely Adames recorded his ninth RBI of the season with a SAC fly to right to score Leon and cut the OLLU lead in half at 4-2.
• Mid-America Christian was able to force an opportunity to tie in the top of the seventh. With runners at first and second, Ortega was able to move German Sepulveda and Devon Villanueva into scoring position on a one-out groundout to second. However, the Evangels rally came just short as Mitchell, moving into the closing role was able to get Ryan Reed to strikeout to end the game.

GAME NOTES

• Our Lady of the Lake scored its four runs on six hits with one error while Mid-America Christian plated its two runs on three hits and also committed only one defensive mistake.
• In his first start of the season, Luuk ter Beek was able to throw 5.2 innings, giving up four earned on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
• Amni Ortega led the MACU bats by going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored while Yan Ely Adames was the only other Evangel to record a hit by going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI on a SAC fly.

GAME TWO
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 6, Our Lady of the Lake 4
  • Mid-America Christian (4-2)
  • Our Lady of the Lake (2-7)

PITCHING DECISION

• Win: Zane Robeaux (2-0)
• Loss: Trey Ramirez III (0-1)
• Save: Kelton Lachelt (1)

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 1^st – MACU – Blake Diggle doubled to center, 2 RBI; Ryan Reed scored; Amni Ortega scored – MACU 2, OLLU 0
• BTM 1^st – OLLU – Francisco Martinez doubled to center, 2 RBI; Jacob Mitchell scored; Jacob Montejano scored – MACU 2, OLLU 2
• BTM 1^st – OLLU – Tyler Vivier hit a SAC fly to right, RBI; Francisco Martinez scored – OLLU 3, MACU 2
• TOP 3^rd – MACU – Blake Diggle singled to right, 2 RBI; Ryan Reed scored; Caden Harris scored – MACU 4, OLLU 3
• TOP 3^rd – MACU – German Sepulveda grounded out to ss, RBI; Isaiah Leon scored – MACU 5, OLLU 3
• TOP 5^th – MACU – Christian Guevera reached on an error by c, RBI; Payton Walk scored – MACU 6, OLLU 3
• BTM 5^th – OLLU – D'Artagnan Perez-Padron hit a SAC fly to center, RBI; Brandon Betancourt scored – MACU 6, OLLU 4

TOP PERFORMERS

• Blake Diggle – 2-4, 2B, 4 RBI
• German Sepulveda – 1-3, RBI
• Zane Robeaux – W, 5 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 9 SO

GAME SUMMARY

• Mid-America Christian got off to a strong start. After Amni Ortega reached on a single Ryan Reed was hit by a pitch, the runners were moved into scoring position on an Isaiah Leon groundout, setting up a two-RBI double by Blake Diggle to center to make it a 2-0 MACU lead in the top of the first.
• However, Our Lady of the Lake had an immediate response in the bottom half of the inning. With runners reaching second and third off a walk, single and a double steal, the Saints' Francisco Martinez hit a deep two-RBI double to center to draw the game even at 2-2.
• The Saints grabbed the lead when Martinez trotted down to third after a passed ball before Tyler Vivier drove him home on a SAC fly to right to make it a 3-2 OLLU lead.
• Two innings later, the Evangels recaptured the momentum with the first four batters reaching. Following Ortega reaching on an error, Reed being hit by a pitch Leon hitting a single to right to load the bases, Diggle recorded his second two-RBI hit of the game with a single to right, scoring Reed and Caden Harris to reclaim a 4-3 lead.
• The Evangels added to it two batters later when German Sepulveda drove in Leon from third on an RBI groundout to short to make it a 5-3 game.
• MACU had a great chance to add to their advantage in the top of the fourth when Christian Guevera drew a walk, Harris was hit by a pitch and both advanced on a double steal with one out. However, OLLU reliever Guiliano Hernandez was able to force a popout and a lineout to short in back-to-back at-bats to keep the Evangels at-bay.
• Mid-America Christian was able to add a crucial insurance run in the fifth. After loading the bases on Yan Ely Adames being hit by a pitch, German Sepulveda singled to right and Grant Roberts hit an infield single to load the bases. Despite Christian Guevara's grounder creating a force out at home for the second out, OLLU catcher Justin Smith made a costly throwing error trying to turn a double play, allowing MACU pinch-runner Payton Walk to score and make it a 6-3 game.
• The Saints got the run back in the bottom of the fifth when Brandon Betancourt doubled to center to lead off the inning, moved down to third on a passed ball and then came across to score on a D'Artagnan Perez-Padron sacrifice fly to right close it to 6-4.
• MACU closer Kelton Lachelt came in in the sixth and tossed two strong innings, allowing just one baserunner to close out the 6-4 victory.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian finished the game with six runs on seven hits with no errors while the Saints scored their four runs on five hits with two errors.
• Despite getting off to a rocky start, MACU starter Zane Robeaux was able to settle in and get his second win of the season after giving up four runs on four hits with a walk and a season-high nine strikeouts over five innings of work.
• Blake Diggle four RBIs in the contest set a single-game high for the Evangels this season, giving him eight on the season to put him just one back of Yan Ely Adames for the team-lead.
• Kelton Lachelt became the third different Evangels player to record a save already this season. Reece Cusiter notched MACU's first save of the season in an 8-4 win at Wiley on Feb. 6 before Luuk ter Beek recorded a save in an 8-6 finale win at Jarvis Christian on Feb. 7.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will close out its four-game series with Our Lady of the Lake on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon.