KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MACU softball team was able overcome an early two-run deficit and then hold off a furious Oakland City rally as the Evangels advanced out of pool play with a 6-5 victory in the NCCAA World Series on Wednesday morning.
SCORE
- Mid-America Christian 6, Oakland City 5
- Mid-America Christian (38-18)
- Oakland City (25-21)
PITCHING DECISION
TOP PERFORMERS
- Hannah Robbins – 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R
- Mikaylee Allen – 2-2, 3B, RBI, BB, HBP, 2 SB
- Brooklyn Wilson – 2-3, RBI, R, BB
- Rachel Humburg – 2-4, RBI, R
SCORING SUMMARY
- BTM 1st – OCU – McKendree Ward homered to left, 2 RBI; Alyssa Haynes scored – OCU 2, MACU 0
- TOP 3rd – MACU – Olivia Roberts singled thru right side, RBI; Emylee Campbell scored – OCU 2, MACU 1
- TOP 3rd – MACU – Brooklyn Wilson singled up the middle, RBI; Rachel Humburg scored – MACU 2, OCU 2
- TOP 3rd – MACU – Hannah Robbins doubled to right-center, 2 RBI; Olivia Roberts scored; Brooklyn Wilson scored – MACU 4, OCU 2
- TOP 3rd – MACU – Mikaylee Allen tripled down rf line, RBI; Hannah Robbins scored – MACU 5, OCU 2
- TOP 4th – MACU – Rachel Humburg singled to left, RBI; Stormy Haynes scored – MACU 6, OCU 2
- BTM 6th – OCU – Hannah Wissel hit a sac fly to lf, RBI; Mackenzie Sisson scored – MACU 6, OCU 3
- BTM 6th – OCU – Abbi Jacquess doubled to right-center, 2 RBI; Jessi Goforth scored; Liberty Smith scored – MACU 6, OCU 5
GAME NOTES
- Mid-America Christian scored its six runs on 11 hits and committed two errors while Oakland City tallied five runs on 10 hits and made one miscue.
- The Mighty Oaks jumped out to a two-run lead in the bottom of the first. After Abbi Jacquess led off the frame with a single and Alyssa Haynes grounded into a fielder's choice, McKendree Ward smoked a line-drive two-run homer over the left field wall to make it a 2-0 game.
- While the Evangels were able to get at least two baserunners in each of the first two innings, MACU was finally able to break through into the scoring column in a big way in the top of the third.
- With runners at first and second with two outs, Olivia Roberts was able to get the rally going by slapping a single through the right side to plate Emylee Campbell, cutting it to a 2-1 game. With runners at the corners, Brooklyn Wilson followed with a sharp grounder up the middle for a base hit, bringing home Rachel Humburg.
- With the game knotted up at 2-2, Hannah Robbins broke the tie in a big way with a deep double to right-center, plating both Olivia Roberts and Brooklyn Wilson to make it a two-run lead. Mikaylee Allen wrapped up the scoring in a big way as she smoked a line drive down the right field line for her seventh triple of the season, setting the score to 5-2.
- Two-out hitting continued to be contagious for MACU in the top of the fourth as the Evangels came up with what would-be the game-deciding run. After Janessa Larman hit a one-out double to right-center and her pinch-runner Stormy Haynes trotted down to third on a flyout to right, Rachel Humburg brought home the ultimate winning home on a soft fly single to left, bringing it to 6-2.
- MACU found itself in some major trouble in the bottom of the fourth when the first two batters reached scoring position on a dropped flyball in center field and Hannah Wissel singled through the right side before stealing second, putting runners at second and third with no one out. However, MACU starter Avery Schneringer was able to dance her way out of the jam by getting Jessi Goforth to strike out looking and Liberty Smith to pop out to Robbins on a bunt before Cailey Parsells snared a lineout to center to end the inning.
- The Evangels' last major scoring threat came in the top of the fifth as the speedy Allen and Parsells were able to get to second and third with two outs on a double steal. However, OCU reliever Liberty Smith was able to get pinch-hitter Macy Stockton to hit a sharp liner to second to stop the MACU threat.
- Despite giving up a lead-off double to Emily Fitzwater in the bottom of the sixth, the Evangels were able to get two quick outs on deep flies as pinch-runner Mackenzie Sisson scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 6-3.
- However, the Mighty Oaks changed the landscape of the game as OCU recorded three straight hits, ending on a Jacquess double to right-center that brought two runners home, closing it to a 6-5 game with the tying run in scoring position.
- Rachel Eggleston came in in relief and despite giving up a walk to her first batter, she was able to get NCCAA All-Tournament performer McKendree Ward to fly out to right to end the frame.
- Oakland City put together one last rally in the bottom of the seventh as Megan Ghrist led off with a double to right-center, but Eggleston was able to get two quick outs to Allen at short with a groundout and a popout. OCU pinch-runner put the pressure on MACU by getting down to third on a wild pitch, but Eggleston put the game away by getting Wissel to swing through strike three to propel the Evangels to the semifinals.
- Avery Schneringer earned the win in the circle, allowing five earned runs on nine hits with no walks and two strikeouts and Rachel Eggleston tallied her first save of the season, allowing no runs on one hit with a walk and a strikeout.
- With her 16th win, Schneringer tied her last year total for wins and moved into a four-way for the fifth-most wins in a single season in the program record book, sitting aside Amber Tinney (2014) and Regan Martin (2019).
- The Evangels featured a balanced batting order with their 11 hits as seven different players came up with a hit while Mikaylee Allen, Rachel Humburg, Janessa Larman and Brookyn Wilson each came up with a pair.
- Hannah Robbins tallied the team lead in RBIs with two, finishing 1-for-3 with her two-out, two-RBI double in the bottom of the third.
- Allen also put together a stellar day at the dish, reaching base four times by slashing 2-for-2 with a triple and an RBI while also drawing a walk and hit-by-pitch to go with a pair of stolen bases. Allen's seventh three-bagger of the year put her at the top of the MACU record books alongside Cailey Parsells (2022) for the most triples in a single season and continued to build upon her record lead 15 career triples.
- Brooklyn Wilson turned in a great game at the plate, reaching three times by going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run to go along with a walk.
- Despite being kept quiet at the plate in the tournament by going 0-for-7 through her first seven plate appearances, Rachel Humburg was able to get back on-track in a big way with her game-winning RBI single in the top of the fourth as she ended the contest with hits in her last two at-bats to finish 2-for-4 with both a run scored and a run driven in.
- With the victory, MACU has now beaten Oakland City in three straight NCCAA World Series pool play meetings. The match-up was one with high stakes between two legendary coaches who are going to be retiring at the conclusion of the tournament. Due to the game effectively being an elimination game, OCU head coach Patti Buchta coached in her final game of her illustrious 31-year career as the skipper for the Mighty Oaks.
UP NEXT
- Mid-America Christian will face-off in a 2021 NCCAA World Series Championship rematch against Concordia-Ann Arbor (Mich.) in the 8 p.m. semifinal tonight.
