MESQUITE, Texas – The MACU softball team had a tough day in its final games of the Southern Collegiate Sports NAIA Invitational at the Mesquite Girls Softball Complex on Saturday as the Evangels fell to Benedictine 8-2 and 6-4 to Friends.
 
GAME ONE |Mid-America Christian vs. Benedictine (Kan.)
SCORE

• Benedictine 8, Mid-America Christian 2
  • Mid-America Christian (2-1)
  • Benedictine (2-0)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Kera Willoughby (1-0)
• Loss: Gia Reynosa (0-1)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Brooklyn Wilson – 1-3, 2B, RBI
• Emylee Campbell – 1-3, R, HBP
• Talyn Wheeler – 1-2, 2B

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 1^st – MACU – Brooklyn Wilson doubled to center, 2 RBI; Megan Widener scored; Emylee Campbell scored – MACU 2, BU 0
• TOP 2^nd – BU – Kera Willoughby homered to left, 2 RBI; Natalie Sheffield scored – MACU 2, BU 2
• TOP 2^nd – BU – Ryan Cooper homered to left, RBI – BU 3, MACU 2
• TOP 5^th – BU – Baylee Knorr homered to right, RBI – BU 4, MACU 2
• TOP 5^th – BU – Natalie Sheffield singled to short, RBI; Chloe Strickland scored on error by 1b – BU 5, MACU 2
• TOP 5^th – BU – Kera Willoughby reached first on error by p; Natalie Sheffield scored on error – BU 6, MACU 2
• TOP 7^th – BU – Natalie Sheffield singled thru right side, RBI; Abby Reynolds scored on error by rf – BU 7, MACU 2
• TOP 7^th – BU – Claire Heitz singled thru right side, RBI; Natalie Sheffield scored – BU 8, MACU 2

GAME NOTES

• Benedictine scored its eight runs on 13 hits and committed a pair of errors while Mid-America Christian scored its two runs on five hits and tallied four errors.
• The Evangels managed to capture the early momentum in the bottom of the first. After Emylee Campbell and Megan Widener reached on back-to-back singles to start off the frame, Brooklyn Wilson drove both in by hitting her third double of the season to make it an early 2-0 MACU lead.
• Benedictine set the tone for the rest of the game in the top of the second when Kera Willoughby hammered a two-run shot to left before Ryan Cooper hit a solo shot to left two batters later to grab the 3-2 advantage.
• After a pair of scoreless innings, the Ravens added to their advantage on a Bailey Knorr solo homer and scored a pair of runs on two MACU errors to make it a 6-2 game.
• BU added two more in the top of the seventh on three-straight singles to start the frame while scoring another run on an error and single to right to wrap-up the 8-2 final.
• Wilson was the lone Evangel to record an RBI with a pair on her first inning double, finishing 1-for-3 with two driven in.
• Talyn Wheeler added MACU's only other extra base hit with a double to finish 1-for-2 with a walk.
• Gia Reynosa suffered the loss in her MACU debut after allowing six runs, four earned on 10 hits with a walk and two strikeouts over 4.2 innings of work.
• The loss for MACU is the program's first to Benedictine in the two programs' first ever meeting.

GAME TWO / Mid-America Christian vs. (RV) Friends (Kan.)
SCORE

• Friends 6, Mid-America Christian 4
  • Mid-America Christian (2-2)
  • Friends (2-1)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Riley Wertz (1-0)
• Loss: Rachel Eggleston (1-1)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Brooklyn Wilson – 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI
• Megan Widener – 1-2, R, 2 BB
• Cierra Russell – 1-2, 2B, R, BB
• Jess Moore – 1-2, R, BB

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 4^th – FRND – Riley Wertz doubled to center, 3 RBI; Priscilla Mora scored; Angelina Mendoza scored; Fallyn Marshall scored – FRND 3, MACU 0
• BTM 4^th – FRND – Raeleen Hernandez singled thru left side, RBI; Raeleen Hernandez scored – FRND 4, MACU 0
• BTM 5^th – FRND – Makenna Mitchell doubled thru right side, RBI; Fallyn Marshall scored – FRND 5, MACU 0
• TOP 6^th – Emylee Campbell hit a sac fly to lf, RBI; Cierra Russell scored – FRND 5, MACU 1
• TOP 6^th – Brooklyn Wilson tripled to left, 2 RBI; Megan Widener scored; Jess Moore scored – FRND 5, MACU 3
• TOP 6^th – Aubrey Meyers reached on dropped fly error by rf; Brooklyn Wilson scored – FRND 5, MACU 4
• BTM 6^th – FRND – Vanessa Sigala reached on a dropped fly error by cf, Isabel Schwien scored – FRND 6, MACU 4

GAME NOTES

• Friends scored its six runs on nine hits with one error while the Evangels scored their four runs on five hits and committed four errors.
• After both teams played three-and-a-half scoreless innings, Friends broke through with a huge fourth inning when Riley Wertz hit a bases-clearing double with two outs before Raeleen Hernandez slapped a singled through the left side to bring in Wertz to make it a 4-0 game.
• The Falcons added another run in the bottom of the fifth as a Fallyn Mitchell one-out single was followed by a Makenna Mitchell double to right set the score to 5-0.
• With the MACU bats being shut down through the first five innings, the Evangels put together a huge inning to get back in it in the top of the sixth. After the Evangels started the inning with three-straight walks drawn by Cierra Russell, Jess Moore and Megan Widener, Emylee Campbell drove one in on a one-out sacrifice fly to center to plate Russell. Then, Brooklyn Wilson notched her fourth extra-base hit of the weekend with a huge two-RBI triple to left before she came across to score on a dropped flyball by BU's right fielder to close it to 5-4.
• BU did get one more run across on a dropped liner by Brooklyn Wilson, but the Evangels were able to prevent a second from scoring when Hallie Wilson threw out Isabelle Schwien trying to score to keep it to a 6-4 game.
• Mid-America Christian put together a major threat in its last chance in the top of the seventh with Russell reaching on a leadoff double, a Jess Moore single to right and an infield single by Megan Widener to load the bases with no outs. However, the Falcons ace Riley Wertz shut down the Evangels after being re-entered in the inning, inducing a pair of pop outs and striking out the final batter to seal the 6-4 win.
• Brooklyn Wilson led the MACU bats, slashing 1-for-4 with two of MACU's three RBIs with a triple.
• Megan Widener reached base three times on a single and two walks while scoring a run.
• Cierra Russell and Jess Moore also reached base twice on 1-for-2 performances with each drawing a walk and both scoring a run.
• Rachel Eggleston suffered the loss in the circle, allowing five earned runs on eight hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
• Facing Friends for the first time since 2016, The Evangels fell to 3-10 all-time against the strong Falcons program.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will look to bounce back against another KCAC foe as the Evangels will head to Southwestern (Kan.) on Tuesday, Feb. 20 for a doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. start at the Broadway Sports Complex.