OKLAHOMA CITY – No. 13 MACU Baseball team cruised to a pair of victories to open up SAC play with an 8-1 and 15-0 win over College of the Ozarks on the MACU Baseball Field Sunday afternoon.
 
GAME ONE
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 8, Ozarks 1
  • Mid-America Christian (11-5)
  • Ozarks (5-4)

PITCHING DECISION

• Win: Gabriel Dixon (3-1)
• Loss: Brody Baumann (1-2)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Jonluke Hobdy – 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
• Payton Matthews – 1-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
• Taiga Sakuma – 1-1, 1 2B, 2 RBI
• Gabriel Dixon – W, 5+ IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 4^th – MACU – Payton Matthews singled to left field, 2 RBI; Noel McGarry-Doyle scored; D'Andre Gaines scored – MACU 2, COFO 0
• BTM 4^th – COFO – Charlie Parker singled through the right side, RBI; Ty Rush scored – MACU 2, COFO 1
• TOP 5^th – MACU – D'Andre Gaines homered to left field, RBI – MACU 3, COFO 1
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Gio Mendoza singled to center field, RBI; Payton Matthews scored – MACU 4, COFO 1
• TOP 7^th – MACU – Jonluke Hobdy singled to left field, RBI; Cristopher Munoz scored – MACU 5, COFO 1
• TOP 7^th – MACU – Julian Martinez singled up the middle, RBI; Noel McGarry-Doyle scored – MACU 6, COFO 1
• TOP 7^th – MACU – Taiga Sakuma doubled to left center, 2 RBI; Julian Martinez scored; Jonluke Hobdy scored – MACU 8, COFO 1

 
GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian outhit College of the Ozarks 10-3 while putting eight across to just one from the Bobcats.
• After both starting pitchers tossed their third perfect inning, D'Andre Gaines became the first to reach base successfully on a grounder to short that Ty Rush was unable to field cleanly. After a flyout by Munoz the Evangels loaded the bases on a walk to Noel McGarry-Doyle and infield single that Jonluke Hobdy grounded to the left side, Rush laid to his left prevent a run from scoring, however Payton Matthews then clutched up with a single to left scoring Gaines and McGarry-Doyle to give MACU a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth.
• COFO responded in the bottom half of the fourth on a two-out RBI single through the right side that Brett Justice outstretched glove just missed, allowing Ty Rush to score cutting the Evangels lead to 2-1 after four complete.
• Gabriel Dixon bounced back with a 1-2-3 fifth and D'Andre Gaines extended the lead to 3-1 on a no doubt homer off the left field wall. Noel McGarry-Doyle appeared to have followed up with a homer of his own in the fifth, however after the ball went over the fence the home plate umpire dignified that McGarry-Doyle looked into the Bobcats dugout, therefore scratching the homer for a batter's interference to keep it at 3-1 MACU and retiring the inning.
• With two outs and nobody on, Payton Matthews extended the inning via a base on balls, he then stole second and scored on an RBI single to center by Gio Mendoza making it 4-1 in favor of the Evangels.
• MACU started off the seventh with four consecutive singles, Julian Martinez followed up Jonluke Hobdy's RBI single with one of his own, punching one up the box scoring McGarry-Doyle giving the Evangels a 6-1 lead.
• The bases were loaded with two-away, and Taiga Sakuma delivered in his first at bat of the season, splitting the left-center gap on a two-bagger scoring a pair to make it 8-1 MACU.
• Andrws Acosta worked a 1-2-3 seventh behind two strikeouts to secure the 8-1 victory.
• Gabriel Dixon picked up his third win of the year in his fifth start, leading MACU in wins, he went 5-plus innings surrendering three hits, walking one and striking out five.
• Andrws Acosta receives his team leading second save of the 25' campaign, he retired all six batters he faced, totaling two innings of shutout ball with two strikeouts.
• Jonluke Hobdy was the only player to log more than one hit, he finished 2-for-4 with a run and RBI.
• D'Andre Gaines tied Payton Matthews for the team lead in homers with five, he went 1-for-5 with a homer and two runs scored.
• Taiga Sakuma returned in the batter's box after missing some time due to a wrist injury, he went 1-for-1 in his pinch-hit appearance picking up two RBIs on a single to left.
• Infielders Giordany Mendoza and Jullian Martinez added RBI singles, Mendoza went 1-for-3 and Martinez singled in his lone plate appearance.
• Payton Matthews added on to his team lead in RBIs with a pair, he added on a stolen base and run scored as well.
• Carlos Medina had just one official at bat, he reached base three times with two hit-by-pitches and a walk letting him score once.
• It was the first ever win for MACU over COFO with the second all-time matchup amongst the squads.

GAME TWO
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 15, Ozarks 0
  • Mid-America Christian (12-5)
  • Ozarks (5-5)

PITCHING DECISION

• Win: Brock Cordes (2-0)
• Loss: Cameron Jennings (1-2)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Noel McGarry-Doyle – 3-4,1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB
• Cristopher Munoz – 1-3, 1 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB
• Taiga Sakuma – 1-2, 2B, 3 RBI
• Brock Cordes – W, 4 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 2^nd – MACU – Jonluke Hobdy scored on a wild pitch – MACU 1, COFO 0
• TOP 4^th – MACU – Payton Matthews homered to right field, 2 RBI; Brett Justice scored – MACU 3, COFO 0
• TOP 4^th – MACU – Cristopher Munoz homered to right center, 4 RBI; D'Andre Gaines scored; Giordany Mendoza scored; Carlos Medina scored – MACU 7, COFO 0
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle homered to center field, 2 RBI; Cristopher Munoz scored – MACU 9, COFO 0
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Brett Justice homered down the lf line, RBI – MACU 10, COFO 0
• TOP 7^th – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle doubled to left center, 2 RBI; Alek Guzman scored; Giordany Mendoza scored – MACU 12, COFO 0
• TOP 7^th – MACU – Taiga Sakuma doubled to center field, 3 RBI; Julian Martinez scored; Noel McGarry-Doyle scored; Elijah Lee scored – MACU 15, COFO 0

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian outslugged College of the Ozarks putting up 10 hits to just two Bobcat singles including four homers and three doubles in the 15-0 victory.
• Jonluke Hobdy led off the second with an infield single and later advanced to third on a pair of groundouts then scoring on a wild pitch pushing across the first run of the contest.
• In the top of the fourth the Evangels banged out six runs including a pair of homers on a two-run shot to right by Payton Matthews, Carlos Medina then singled to center, Giordany Mendoza walked to bring up Connor Thompson with first and second nobody out. Thompson sac bunted Medina and Mendoza to scoring position, D'Andre Gaines was intentionally walked setting up a bases loaded opportunity for Cristopher Munoz who launched one over the right center field fence blowing the game open with an 7-0 advantage for the Evangels.
• After four innings of shutout ball, starting pitcher Brock Cordes unfortunately suffered a calf cramp that forced him out of the game during warmups in the top of the fifth, Andrew Long got the call in relief and worked a scoreless fifth that included a walk, but he picked off the courtesy runner Landon Jines at first to prevent the Bobcats from scoring.
• MACU plated three in the top of the sixth on a pair of homers including a two-run blast by McGarry-Doyle that sailed over the left-center field wall. Brett Justice then tapped in, hooking one down the left-field line to extend the lead to double-digits up 10-0.
• In the top of the seventh the Evangels brought the lead to 15-0 on a two-RBI double by McGarry-Doyle and a bases clearing double off the centerfield wall by Taiga Sakuma.
• Blade Beaty toed the rubber for his first outing of his Evangel career, he gave up a hit and a walk but did not allow the Bobcats to score, providing the third out for the third shutout MACU has completed so far this season.
• Brock Cordes received the win, he only needed 50 pitches to get through four innings, he of course was pulled due to injury, he finished with 4 innings allowing a hit, walking one and punching out four.
• Andrew Long logged two efficient innings of work, he allowed just one walk and struck out two.
• Noel McGarry-Doyle led the contest with three hits, all three of his hits counted for extra-bases with two doubles and a homer for four RBIs.
• Cristopher Munoz also drove in four, all four came in one swing on the opposite field nuke.
• Brett Justice was the only other Evangel aside from McGarry-Doyle to record a mult-hit game, Justice had a single and a homer which tied Gaines and Matthews for a team lead of five.
• Payton Matthews wrapped up a solid day with two more RBIs in game two, they both came from his two-run homer in the fourth.
• Carlos Medina and Jonluke Hobdy both contributed for a hit and a run.
• Giordany Mendoza reached base three times on three walks, he had three of the nine total that Bobcats pitching allowed.
• All nine of the Evangels starters reached base safely.
• Taiga Sakuma stung the ball twice in his two at bats, he lined out to first and banged a double off the wall that scored three, but was gunned down trying to extend it to a three-bagger.
• With the victory MACU has now won seven straight games dating back to the 5-0 win over Dakota State on Feb. 7.
• The Evangels now claim the upper hand through just the first three matchups amongst the teams with a 2-1 record in favor of MACU dating back to 2022.

UP NEXT

• MACU goes for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with a first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m. on the MACU Baseball Field with the Evangels once again playing as the visiting team against College of the Ozarks.