KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MACU softball team split its first two games of pool play at the NCCAA World Series at the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy on Tuesday, as the Evangels opened with an 11-3 win over Kansas Christian before dropping a hard-fought 1-0 defeat to Trinity Christian (Ill.).
GAME ONE
SCORE
- Mid-America Christian 11, Kansas Christian 3 (5 Inn)
- Mid-America Christian (37-17)
- Kansas Christian (7-25)
PITCHING DECISION
TOP PERFORMERS
- Janessa Larman – 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R
- Emylee Campbell – 2-2, 2B, RBI, 3 R, BB, SB
- Cailey Parsells – 2-3, 2B, 2 R, SB
SCORING SUMMARY
- TOP 1st – KCC – Hannah Wahl singled up the middle, RBI; Trinitie Butler scored – KCC 1, MACU 0
- BTM 1st – MACU – Megan Widener doubled to left, RBI; Cailey Parsells scored – MACU 1, KCC 1
- BTM 1st – MACU – Megan Widener scored on a wild pitch – MACU 2, KCC 1
- BTM 2nd – MACU – Mikaylee Allen doubled to left, 2 RBI; Emylee Campbell scored; Brooklyn Wilson scored – MACU 4, KCC 1
- TOP 3rd – KCC – Hannah Wahl singled to left-center, RBI; Ari Lopez scored – MACU 4, KCC 2
- BTM 3rd – MACU – Janessa Larman homered to right-center, 2 RBI; Megan Widener scored – MACU 6, KCC 2
- BTM 3rd – MACU – Brooklyn Wilson doubled to center, RBI; Emylee Campbell scored – MACU 7, KCC 2
- BTM 4th – MACU – Cailey Parsells advanced to third, scored on throwing error by 1b – MACU 8, KCC 2
- BTM 4th – MACU – Olivia Roberts doubled to left-center, RBI; Stormy Haynes scored – MACU 9, KCC 2
- TOP 5th – KCC – Trinitie Butler scored on a wild pitch – MACU 9, KCC 3
- BTM 5th – MACU – Emylee Campbell scored on a wild pitch – MACU 10, KCC 3
- BTM 5th – MACU – Karlee Danielson singled to left-center, RBI; Macy Stockton scored – MACU 11, KCC 3
GAME NOTES
- Mid-America Christian scored its 11 runs 11 hits while Kansas Christian tallied three runs on six hits and committed four errors.
- The Evangels found themselves down in the early going. After Avery Schneringer hit the lead-off hitter and Trinitie Butler reached on a fielder's choice, Butler advanced to second on tag-up foul out to shallow right field before coming across to score on an RBI single up the middle by Hannah Wahl to make it a 1-0 game.
- MACU immediately got the run back and gained the lead for good in the bottom of the first when Cailey Parsells led off the frame by ripping a full-count double to left-center field before Megan Widener drove her in with a double to left and advancing to third on a fielding error by the left fielder. Widener then came home on a wild pitch to make it a 2-1 game.
- The Evangels added two more runs in the bottom of the second when Mikaylee Allen hit a deep fly to left field for a double to plate Emylee Campbell and Brooklyn Wilson, stretching it to 4-1.
- The Falcons got a run back in the top of the third as Ari Lopez led off the inning with a double before Hannah Wahl recorded her second RBI with a single to deep left-center, cutting it to a 4-2 ballgame.
- In the bottom of the third, MACU took advance of a misplayed pop-up to allow Megan Widener to reach as Janessa Larman hit a rocket line drive over the right-center field wall for her fifth home run of the season, making it 6-2 before back-to-back two-out doubles by Campbell and Wilson set the score to 7-2.
- MACU continued to add to it by taking advantage of Falcons defensive miscues in the fourth as Parsells reached on a one-out bunt base hit, stole second, advanced to third on the throw on Widener's groundout to short before scoring on an errant throw by the first baseman trying to throw out Parsells at third. Later in the inning, Larman and Roberts each ripped a double as pinch-runner Stormy Haynes came across to bring the score to 9-2.
- The Falcons did score one more run on a wild pitch by MACU reliever Chana Wolfe in the top of the fifth, but the Evangels still managed to end it via the eight-run rule in the bottom of the fifth as Campbell led off the frame with a walk, advanced to second on pinch-hitter Macy Stockton's hit-by-pitch and made a great read to score from second on a wild pitch. With Stockton advancing to third on a wild pitch, pinch-hitter Karlee Danielson abruptly ended the game with a single to left-center to wrap-up the 11-3 final.
- Avery Schneringer earned her 15th win of the season in the circle, improving to 15-6 after tossing four innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
- The MACU batting lineup was balanced across the board with eight different players recording the team's 11 hits. Of MACU's hits, eight of which went for extra bases as the Evangels hit seven doubles and a homer.
- Janessa Larman helped lead the MACU offensive efforts as she swatted 2-for-3 with a double and a homer for two RBIs and scored a run. Mikaylee Allen also finished with a pair driven off after going 1-for-2 with a double.
- Larman's homer put her in some elite company as she is now just the third Evangel in program history to record 13 or more career home runs. Larman sits in a tie for second with Mykah Smith (2015-16) and needs just one more to tie Natalie Bissell's (2014-15) program record.
- Emylee Campbell was one of three MACU hitters to record multiple hits as she slashed 2-for-2 with a double and a walk to go with a team-best three runs scored and a stolen base. Cailey Parsells also tallied a pair of hits, swatting 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and a stolen base.
- With the victory, Mid-America Christian earned its third straight NCCAA World Series win in its tournament opener while the Evangels won their first ever meeting against the Falcons.
GAME TWO
SCORE
- Trinity Christian 1, Mid-America Christian 0
- Mid-America Christian (37-18)
- Trinity Christian (23-19)
PITCHING DECISION
TOP PERFORMERS
SCORING SUMMARY
- BTM 1st – TCC – Alex Hofman doubled down rf line, RBI; Maddy McIntire scored – TCC 1, MACU 0
GAME NOTES
- Trinity Christian scored its one run on five hits and committed one error while the Evangels were held scoreless and hitless.
- The Trolls were able to score the only run of the contest in the bottom of the first. After Maddy McIntire led off the frame with an infield single and then reached second on a sac bunt, she came around to score with two outs when Alex Hofman dropped a fly ball that just barely deflected off of Brooklyn Wilson's glove down the right field line and bounced out of play for a ground rule double, allowing McIntire to score from second.
- MACU struggled to get baserunners throughout the contest as the Evangels were no-hit in the contest by TCC pitcher Myleigh Halmon. The only opportunity MACU had with a runner in scoring position came in the top of the fourth when Megan Widener was hit by a pitch with one out and was able to beat out a potential double play on a fielder's choice, but the Evangels came up empty when Olivia Roberts struck out in the final at-bat of the frame.
- The Evangels had another chance when Widener drew a two-out walk in the top of the sixth, but Trinity first baseman Giulia Cianfriglia potentially saved a run when she knocked down a sharp liner off Janessa Larman's bat down the line and managed to flip to the second baseman covering first to keep it to a 1-0 game.
- The last time the Evangels were no-hit in a game, it came in a 6-1 loss to Oklahoma City on Apr. 6, 2021. However, MACU did manage to push across a run in that game as Cailey Parsells managed to record a lead-off walk, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and score on a wild pitch.
- Despite suffering the loss, the Evangels got another strong outing out of their ace Rachel Eggleston, who tossed her 16th complete game of the season, allowing just one earned run on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
- The defeat for MACU marked its first loss in NCCAA World Series pool play since suffering a 4-3 loss to Warner (Fla.) in Botetourt, Virginia on May 16, 2018.
UP NEXT
- Mid-America Christian will wrap-up pool play on Wednesday as the Evangels will face off against Oakland City (Ind.) at 10 a.m. The contest will effectively be an elimination game as the winner (barring a Trinity Christian loss to Kansas Christian) will compete in the 8 p.m. semifinal against the winner of Pool B.
