CHICKASHA, Okla. – Junior outfielder Noel McGarry-Doyle became the No. 14 MACU Baseball team's NAIA Era (2008-present) single season RBI leader on Sunday night, but the Evangels suffered an 8-3 defeat to third-seeded Science & Arts at Bill Smith Ballpark, forcing an elimination game between the two teams on Monday.
 
 SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 8, Science & Arts 3
  • Mid-America Christian (38-11)
  • Science & Arts (34-15)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Jared Adams (4-4)
• Loss: Breyllin Suriel (6-3)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Noel McGarry-Doyle – 3-4, RBI
• Zachary Stark – 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• Jacob Police – 1-4, R, SB

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 2^nd – USAO – Gunnar Hansen doubled to left, RBI; Peyton McDowall scored – USAO 1, MACU 0
• BTM 2^nd – USAO – Ian Ortiz singled to center, RBI; Ryan Duncan scored – USAO 2, MACU 0
• TOP 4^th – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle singled up the middle, RBI; Jacob Police scored – USAO 2, MACU 1
• TOP 5^th – MACU – Zachary Stark doubled to left, RBI; Carlos Medina scored – MACU 2, USAO 2
• BTM 5^th – USAO – Gabriel Arroyo hit a sac fly to cf, RBI; Devin Alvarez scored – USAO 3, MACU 2
• BTM 5^th – USAO – Peyton McDowall doubled to left, RBI; Gage Ninness scored – USAO 4, MACU 2
• BTM 8^th – USAO – Gunnar Hansen homered to left, 2 RBI; Ben Bach scored – USAO 6, MACU 2
• BTM 8^th – USAO – Devin Alvarez homered to left, 2 RBI; Ben Lawson scored – USAO 8, MACU 2
• TOP 9^th – MACU – Zachary Stark reached on a fielding error by 2b, RBI; Marcus Burton scored – USAO 8, MACU 3

GAME SUMMARY

• Science & Arts opened the scoring by pushing across a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on a Gunnar Hansen RBI double and an Ian Ortiz RBI single while threatening to add more when Ben Lawson's double to left put runners at second and third with just one out. However, MACU starting pitcher Breyllin Suriel limited the damage by striking out the next batter and inducing a groundout to second to keep it to a 2-0 game.
• The Evangels cut the deficit in half at 2-1 in the top of the fourth when Jacob Police reached on a fielding error by the Drovers shortstop and stole second before Noel McGarry-Doyle hit his program record-setting 64^th RBI on a ground ball single back up the middle with two outs.
• MACU tied it up at 2-2 in the top of the fifth on another two-out knock. After Carlos Medina hit a leadoff single to left and moved over a pair of bases on back-to-back groundouts, Zachary Stark lofted an RBI double to the left-center field gap.
• However, the Drovers captured the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth as back-to-back singles by Devin Alvarez and Gage Ninness put runners at the corners for Gabriel Arroyo to hit the go-ahead sac fly to center. USAO added one more in the frame on Peyton McDowall's RBI double to left, setting the score to 4-2.
• In the top of the eighth, Mid-America Christian put together a massive scoring threat by loading the bases on a pair of singles by Police and McGarry-Doyle before Anthony Hampton drew a full count walk to load the bases with two outs. However, USAO made a sensational defensive play to end the frame when Medina ripped a liner down the right field line that Arroyo made a full sprint running grab toward the snaring what would have been a potential bases-clearing hit to keep it at 4-2.
• The Drovers doubled up their score in the bottom of the eighth on a pair of two run homers by Gunnar Hansen and Devin Alvarez, stretching the USAO advantage to 8-2 slimming MACU's comeback chances.
• MACU did get a run back in the top of the ninth when Marcus Burton led off the frame with a double to left, was moved to third on a groundout to first and scored on Zachary Stark's misplayed ground ball by the second baseman, setting the score to 8-3. However, the Drovers abruptly ended the game when Taiga Sakuma grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

GAME NOTES

• Science & Arts scored its eight runs on 14 hits and committed two errors while Mid-America Christian pushed across three runs on seven hits and made one miscue.
• Noel McGarry-Doyle was MACU's only player to finish with multiple hits in the contest, slashing 3-for-4 with an RBI. His 64^th career RBI allowed him to supplant a MACU Baseball legend in Jerry McNew, as the 2010s MACU Player of the Decade notched 63 during the 2017 season.
• McGarry-Doyle also continued his ascent up MACU's career stolen bases record book as he became just the fourth Evangel in the NAIA Era to record 25 career stolen bases, overtaking Taylor Daniels (2012-14) for fourth on the list. He sits just one back of teammate Tylor Richey for third in the record book.
• Breyllin Suriel suffered just his third loss on the mound this season after allowing four earned runs on 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts. The defeat marked his first since a 9-5 home loss to Tabor (Kan.) on Feb. 27.
• The loss to the Drovers marked just the second for the Evangels to USAO this season with the last defeat coming by a score of 3-2 at the MACU Baseball Field on Mar. 2.

UP NEXT

• With Mid-America Christian dropping its first game of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, the Evangels and Drovers will now play an elimination game slated for a 10 a.m. first pitch at Bill Smith Ballpark on Monday.
• If the Evangels win, they will play No. 22 Oklahoma City in the Sooner Athletic Conference Championship game in Chickasha, which is tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday afternoon. There is a possibility the title tilt could get pushed back to Tuesday due to the threat of severe weather forecasted for central Oklahoma on Monday evening.