Mid-America Christian University

OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Baseball team opened Sooner Athletic Conference play against Science & Arts at the MACU Baseball Field this past weekend as Carlos Medina hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh of game one of Saturday's doubleheader allow the Evangels to take two out of three games in the slate.

All three games of the series were decided by one run as the Evangels opened the series on Friday by holding off a late Drovers run for the 4-3 victory.

In the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader, MACU rallied from three runs down in the bottom of the seventh pull out the 5-4 victory on Carlos Medina's walk-off single down the left field line.
MACU had an opportunity at a series sweep, but Science & Arts completed a rally of its own in the series finale, scoring three runs over the final two innings to hand MACU the 3-2 defeat.
 
GAME ONE
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 4, Science & Arts 3
  • Mid-America Christian (10-5, 1-0 SAC)
  • Science & Arts (10-6, 0-1 SAC)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Isaac Baez (4-1)
• Loss: Jared Adams (2-3)
• Save: Cameron Brown (1)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Isaac Baez – W, 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO
• Zachary Stark – 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, HBP
• Noel McGarry-Doyle – 2-4, HR, RBI, R

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 4^th – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle homered to left-center, RBI – MACU 1, USAO 0
• TOP 5^th – USAO – Devin Alvarez doubled to right, RBI; Ryan Rodriguez scored – MACU 1, USAO 1
• BTM 7^th – MACU – Zachary Stark doubled down lf line, 2 RBI; Joel Nieves scored; Jacob Police scored – MACU 3, USAO 1
• BTM 7^th – MACU – Anthony Hampton grounded out to 1b, RBI; Tylor Richey scored – MACU 4, USAO 1
• TOP 9^th – USAO – Will Hoch grounded out to 1b, RBI; Ryan Rodriguez scored – MACU 4, USAO 2
• TOP 9^th – USAO – Gage Ninness singled to right, RBI; Ben Lawson scored – MACU 4, USAO 3

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian scored its four runs on six hits and committed one error while Science & Arts tallied its three runs on eight hits.
• The Drovers threatened to score the first run of the game in the top of the fourth when Peyton McDowall reached on a two-out double to left-center and then tried to score on an errant throw to first on Will Hoch's grounder to third. However, Kyle Williams made a sensational defensive play, picking the ball up after bouncing off the USAO dugout and rifling a throw home for the tagout to keep it to a scoreless.
• The Evangels broke into the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth when Noel McGarry-Doyle lifted a lead-off high flyball over the left-center field wall to put MACU in-front 1-0.
• USAO threatened to put up a crooked inning in the top of the fifth when three of the first four batters reached on a Gunner Hansen single, an Ian Ortiz double and a Devin Alvarez RBI double to make it a 1-1 game with runners at second and third. However, MACU starter Isaac Baez settled down by inducing a soft liner that was snared by Carlos Medina before striking out Gabriel Arroyo to get out of the jam.
• The Evangels recaptured the lead in the bottom of the seventh when back-to-back one-out singles by Jacob Police and Joel Nieves with a passed ball allowed both runners to score when Zachary Stark smacked a double down the left field line. MACU added one more in the frame when pinch-runner Tylor Richey got down to third on a wild pitch before Anthony Hampton chopped a grounder to first to plate Richey, setting the score to 4-1.
• The Drovers did get two runs back in the top of the ninth after a Ben Lawson one-out double put runners at second and third with one out before Will Hoch chopped a ball toward first that was deflected by Williams to second baseman Julian Martinez, who flipped to Cameron Brown covering first for the RBI groundout. Gage Ninness drove in the next score with an RBI single to right, but Brown induced Arroyo to fly out to center to wrap-up the 4-3 final.
• By getting the win, senior pitcher Isaac Baez tied MACU's career pitching wins record with his 13^th victory, matching MACU legend Keisy Portorreal.
• Zachary Stark led the MACU bats with a pair of RBIs while reaching base safely three times, going 1-for-1 with a double, a walk and a run scored.
• Noel McGarry-Doyle continued his ascent up MACU's NAIA Era (2008-present) record books with his 14^th career home run. The homer allowed him to jump Jake Scott (2008-09) for the eighth-most in the book, now sitting just two back of Jon Jon Lemos (2011-12) and Diego Pichardo (2018-19) for sixth.

GAME TWO
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 5, Science & Arts 4
  • Mid-America Christian (11-5, 2-0 SAC)
  • Science & Arts (10-7, 0-2 SAC)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Zane Robeaux (2-0)
• Loss: Alden Norquist (0-1)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Zane Robeaux – W, 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
• D'Andre Gaines – 2-4, RBI, R
• Carlos Medina – 2-4, RBI
• Noel McGarry-Doyle – 1-2, RBI, BB, HBP

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 1^st – USAO – Christopher Martinez walked; Gabriel Arroyo stole third; scored on muffed throw error by 3b – USAO 1, MACU 0
• BTM 3^rd – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle singled down lf line, RBI; Joel Nieves scored – MACU 1, USAO 1
• TOP 4^th – USAO – Gabriel Arroyo singled thru right side, RBI; Gage Ninness scored – USAO 2, MACU 1
• TOP 4^th – USAO – Christopher Martinez singled to left, RBI; Gabriel Arroyo scored – USAO 3, MACU 1
• TOP 6^th – USAO – Gage Ninness singled to left, RBI; Devin Alvarez scored – USAO 4, MACU 1
• BTM 7^th – MACU – Anthony Hampton singled thru right side, RBI; Joel Nieves scored – USAO 4, MACU 2
• BTM 7^th – MACU – D'Andre Gaines singled thru left side, RBI; Tylor Richey scored – USAO 4, MACU 3
• BTM 7^th – MACU – Kyle Williams walked, RBI; Anthony Hampton scored – MACU 4, USAO 4
• BTM 7^th – MACU – Carlos Medina singled down lf line, RBI; D'Andre Gaines scored – MACU 5, USAO 4

GAME NOTES

• The Evangels scored their five runs on 10 hits and committed three errors while the Drovers finished with four runs on 10 hits and made one miscue.
• USAO scored the opening run of the game in the top of the first when Gabriel Arroyo attempted to steal third. On the throw down to the bag, the ball was knocked out of MACU third baseman Anthony Hampton's glove and went into the Evangels' dugout, allowing the run to score and make it a 1-0 Drovers lead.
• Mid-America Christian tied it up in the bottom of the fourth. After Joel Nieves drew a lead-off walk, advanced to second on a ground and went to third on an infield single by D'Andre Gaines, Noel McGarry-Doyle drove in Nieves by chopping a high hopper over the third baseman to make it a 1-1 game.
• Science & Arts grabbed a two-run advantage in the fourth on RBI singles by Gabriel Arroyo and Christopher Martinez before adding an insurance run in the sixth on Devin Alvarez's lead-off double before Gage Ninness drove him in on an RBI single to set the score to 4-1.
• With just three outs left to score three to tie or four to win, MACU put together an incredible rally that saw the Evangels walk the game off with none of its batters being put out. After the Evangels put runners on the corners on Guillermo Velasco's pinch-hit single and Jordan Crawford's single through the right side, Anthony Hampton plated Nieves with a single through the right side before D'Andre Gaines brought in pinch-runner Tylor Richey on a single to left, cutting it to a one-run game at 4-3.
• In a strategic move, the Drovers elected to intentionally walk McGarry-Doyle to load the bases to create a force out at any base, it ended up backfiring when Kyle Williams drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 4-4.
• Bringing up a batter with multiple walk-off hits in his MACU career, shortstop Carlos Medina came through in the clutch once again when he fisted a bloop single off the handle over the head of the third baseman to bring in Gaines for the 5-4 victory.
• The RBI single by Medina marked the third of his two-year MACU career. The senior shortstop's first walk-off came on a single to center in a 5-4 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Mar. 31, 2023 before hitting the game-winning single through the left side against Southwestern Christian on May 23, 2023 to propel the Evangels the 3-2 NCCAA National Championship victory.
• Another Evangels pitcher found themselves at the top MACU's wins record book as reliever Zane Robeaux notched his 13^th career victory after tossing three innings and allowing just one earned run on four hits and a walk and struck out two. The win allowed him to match teammate Isaac Baez, who tied the record in the previous game along with Keisy Portorreal.
• Overall, eight different MACU players recorded MACU's 10 hits as Medina and D'Andre Gaines led the Evangels with each finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI apiece.
• The victory allowed the Evangels to lock up the series win over the Drovers.

GAME THREE
SCORE

• Science & Arts 3, Mid-America Christian 2
  • Mid-America Christian (11-6, 2-1 SAC)
  • Science & Arts (11-7, 1-2 SAC)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Hagen Earls (1-0)
• Loss: Kelton Lachelt (0-1)
• Save: Rob Schmidt (1)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Devan Quesada – ND, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO
• Anthony Hampton – 1-3, 2 R, BB
• Noel McGarry-Doyle – 1-3, 3B, RBI, BB

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 1^st – MACU – Anthony Hampton scored on a balk – MACU 1, USAO 0
• BTM 5^th – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle tripled to right-center, RBI; Anthony Hampton scored – MACU 2, USAO 0
• TOP 6^th – USAO – Ian Ortiz singled up the middle, RBI; Ben Bach scored – MACU 2, USAO 1
• TOP 6^th – USAO – Ben Lawson doubled down lf line, RBI; Ian Ortiz scored – MACU 2, USAO 2
• TOP 7^th – USAO – Peyton McDowall hit a sac fly to cf, RBI; Gabriel Arroyo scored – USAO 3, MACU 2

GAME NOTES

• Science & Arts scored its three runs on seven hits and committed a pair of errors while the Evangels scored their two runs on six hits and made three miscues.
• Anthony Hampton put MACU back in-front in the first when Anthony Hampton reached on a lead-off walk, advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw to first and then scored when USAO starting pitcher Sam Repogle committed a balk, making it a 1-0 game.
• Both teams struggled to push across runs over the next three innings before Noel McGarry-Doyle added an insurance run for the Evangels. With Hampton on first with two outs, the junior outfielder hammered a triple to the right-center field gap to bring it to a 2-0 game.
• The Drovers were able to get to the MACU bullpen in the top of the sixth when Ian Ortiz slapped an RBI single up the middle and then Ben Lawson hammered an RBI double down the left field line to tie it up at 2-2. With runners at first and third and only one out, USAO threatened to take the lead, but MACU reliever Kelton Lachelt came in and induced a 1-6-3 double play to get out of the jam.
• However, USAO managed to push across the winning run in the top of the seventh when Gabriel Arroyo led off the seventh with a double and was advanced to third on a fielder's choice sac bunt with the throw to third being just slightly late before Peyton McDowall hit a sac fly to center bring in the run, making it a 3-2 game.
• MACU did get the tying run on-base when McGarry-Doyle drew a two-out walk, but the Drovers were able to get MACU's top hitter Kyle Williams to ground out to first to wrap-up the game.
• Kelton Lachelt suffered the tough-luck loss on the found, allowing just one earned run on one hit.
• Six different Evangels recorded MACU's six hits as Noel McGarry-Doyle led the charge with his eighth career triple while reaching base three times on a walk and hit-by-pitch to go with his RBI triple.
• Anthony Hampton scored both of MACU's runs while finishing 1-for-3 with a single and a walk.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will face-off against Tabor in a re-match on Wednesday as the Evangels will travel to Hillsboro, Kansas for a 1 p.m. first pitch.