MESQUITE, Texas – It was another tough day in the office for the MACU Softball team at the Southern Collegiate Sports NAIA Invitational as the Evangels fell to Missouri Baptist 5-1 before dropping a 7-6 decision to Tabor at the Mesquite Girls Softball Complex on Friday.
 
GAME ONE / Mid-America Christian vs. Missouri Baptist
SCORE

• Missouri Baptist 5, Mid-America Christian 1
  • Mid-America Christian (0-3)
  • Missouri Baptist (2-0)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Brooklynn Fischer (1-0)
• Loss: Gia Reynosa (0-1)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Talyn Lerma – 2-3
• Kisbel Vizcaya – 1-3, 2B, RBI
• Stormy Haynes – 1-3, R
• Gia Reynosa, L, CG, 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 1^st – MBU – Allison Leigraf singled to first base, RBI; Makayla Johnson scored – MBU 1, MACU 0
• BTM 1^st – MBU – Brooklynn Fischer singled up the middle, RBI; Allison Leigraf scored – MBU 2, MACU 0
• BTM 2^nd – MBU – Makayla Johnson tripled down rf line, 2 RBI; Emily Wright scored; Miranda Ladson scored – MBU 4, MACU 0
• BTM 2^nd – MBU – Makayla Johnson tripled down rf line, 2 RBI; Emily Wright scored; Miranda Ladson scored – MBU 4, MACU 0
• TOP 3^rd – MACU – Kisbel Vizcaya doubled to left, RBI; Stormy Haynes scored – MBU 4, MACU 1
• BTM 6^th – MBU – Miranda Ladson doubled down lf line, RBI; Grace McGinnis scored – MBU 5, MACU 1

GAME SUMMARY

• Mid-America Christian needed to overcome a bit of a rocky start. Following Makayla Johnson's leadoff double to left, Allison Leigraf pushed across the go-ahead run on a chopper single that deflected off the glove of a diving Makenzie Thurman at first before Leigraf came home three batters later on Brooklynn Fischer's single up the middle to set the score to 2-0.
• MACU starting pitcher Gia Reynosa got a little unlucky in the top of the second when the leadoff hitter reached on a wild pitch strikeout before Johnson hammered a line drive triple down the right field line that was just barely out of the reach of Hallie Wilson's love, plating a pair of runs to extend the MBU advantage to 4-0.
• In the top of the third, MACU almost immediately got the run back when Stormy Haynes hammered a first pitch, leadoff single before Kisbel Vizcaya hammered a first pitch double that one-hopped to the left field wall. Haynes came around to score from first on the play, cutting the MBU edge down to 4-1.
• Both teams struggled to find scoring chances over the next three innings before the Spartans finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Fischer and Ladson hit a pair of doubles within three at-bats to start off the frame, allowing MBU to stretch its edge back to four at 5-1.

GAME NOTES

• Missouri Baptist scored its five runs on eight hits while the Evangels tallied their lone run on five hits.
• Despite suffering the loss in the circle, Gia Reynosa tossed MACU's first complete game of the season, allowing five earned runs on eight hits with one walk to go with four strikeouts. Reynosa was especially solid over her final four frames of work, giving up just one earned run on three hits during that stretch.
• Talyn Lerma was the only Evangel to finish with multiple hits in the contest as she went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.
• Kisbel Vizcaya notched the lone RBI for MACU as she went 1-for-3 with a double.
• Stormy Haynes scored the only Evangels run after slashing 1-for-3 with a single.
• Hallie Wilson recorded the only other hit for the Evangels after hitting a single to go 1-for-3 from the plate.
• By suffering the loss, Missouri Baptist now holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series against the Evangels.

GAME TWO / Mid-America Christian vs. Tabor
SCORE

• Tabor 7, Mid-America Christian 6
  • Mid-America Christian (0-4)
  • Tabor (1-1)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Madison Nelson (1-0)
• Loss: Chana Wolfe (0-2)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Hallie Wilson – 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, R
• Heidi Noisey – 2-3, RBI, R
• Kisbel Vizcaya – 3-4, 2B, R
• Stormy Haynes – 1-2, R, SB
• Chana Wolfe – L, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO; 1-3, 2B, RBI

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 1^st – MACU – Heidi Noisey singled up the middle, RBI; Kisbel Vizcaya scored – MACU 1, TC 0
• TOP 1^st – MACU – Hallie Wilson homered to right, 4 RBI; Kayten Herman scored; Heidi Noisey scored; Nyssa Dunn scored – MACU 5, TC 0
• TOP 1^st – MACU – Chana Wolfe doubled to center, RBI; Stormy Haynes scored – MACU 6, TC 0
• BTM 1^st – TC – Darcy Gillen homered to left, 2 RBI; Makayla Guarascio scored – MACU 6, TC 2
• BTM 1^st – TC – Candince Moreno-Hairabedian doubled to right-center, RBI; Cheyenne Washington scored – MACU 6, TC 3
• BTM 4^th – TC – Payten Staley reached on a fielding error by ss; Dessa Zavala scored – MACU 6, TC 4
• BTM 4^th – TC – Darcy Gillen doubled to left-center, 2 RBI; Payten Staley scored; Reyna Enriquez scored – MACU 6, TC 6
• BTM 4^th – TC – Cheyenne Washington singled to left-center, RBI; Darcy Gillen scored – TC 7, MACU 6

GAME SUMMARY

• Mid-America Christian took advantage of a massive mistake by Tabor in the top of the first that ended up resulting in six Evangels runs. After Kisbel Vizcaya led off the frame with a deep double to right-center, she ended up being safe at third on a muffed catch from the shortstop over to third to try and get the lead out. Following a Nyssa Dunn steal of second and a Makenzie Thurman lineout to second, Heidi Noisey recorded her first career MACU RBI after slapping a single up the middle to set the score to 1-0 and put runners at the corners.
• After Kayten Herman drew a walk to load the bases, Hallie Wilson blew the game wide open when she hammered a grand slam over the right field wall to extend the MACU lead to 5-0. The Evangels added one more in the frame when Stormy Haynes drew a walk and stole second before Chana Wolfe lined a deep double to straight-center to set the score to 6-0.
• The Bluejays were able to trim the deficit in-half against MACU starting pitcher Isabel Ray. While she was able to induce a popout to short to start, an error at second set up NAIA All-American Darcy Gillen for a two-run homer that was popped over the left field fence to set the score to 6-2. Tabor got one more just two batters later when Cheyenne Washington bashed a double to left before Candince Moreno-Hairabedian hit an RBI double to right-center.
• Getting the start at short, the Evangels pulled a double-switch as Chana Wolfe moved into the circle and even though she issued a walk to her first batter, she got the inning back under control by inducing a popout and a strikeout to end the inning.
• Despite both teams getting off to electric starts offensively, MACU and Tabor both went silent with the bats over the next two-and-a-half inning before the Bluejays broke through in the bottom of the fourth.
• With runners on first and second off a single and a walk with one out, an error at short on a bobbled grounder allowed Dessa Zavala to score from second to make it a 6-4 game.
• After a groundout to second put runners at second and third with two outs, Gillen came up big for the Bluejays once again as she laced a double to left-center to bring both runners home, tying the score at 6-6. Gillen then came home during the ensuing at-bat as Cheyenne Washington dropped an RBI single into left-center to set the score to 7-6.
• While MACU found itself down, the Evangels put together a great chance in the top of the fifth as singles by Makenzie Thurman, Hallie Wilson and Haynes loaded the bases with two outs. However, TC reliever Madison Nelson was able to thwart the MACU threat by striking out Wolfe to end the frame.
• Unfortunately, the Evangels were unable to put a runner in scoring position over the final two innings as Tabor escaped with the 7-6 win.

GAME NOTES

• Despite coming up short, Mid-America Christian managed to out-hit Tabor by an 11-6 margin.
• Errors proved costly for MACU as the Evangels committed four miscues that resulted in all seven of the Bluejays runs to be unearned. Tabor committed one error, but that error was a costly one for the Bluejays as well as the Evangels scored all six of their runs in the top of the first following the miscue.
• Chana Wolfe suffered her second-straight tough luck loss in the circle as the junior righty allowed just four unearned runs on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts over 5.2 innings of relief.
• Hallie Wilson notched her third career home run and her first career grand slam to lead the MACU batting efforts, slashing 2-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored. The last MACU player to hit a grand slam came as an inside-the-park variety by Cailey Parsells in a 13-0 win at Southwestern on Mar. 29, 2023.
• Heidi Noisey notched her first RBI as a member of the Evangels as she finished 2-for-3 from the plate with a pair of singles and a run scored.
• Finishing 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored, Kisbel Vizcaya kept up her torrid two-bag pace as she's now hit a double in each of the first four games of the season, matching her complete season total from a year ago.
• Stormy Haynes ended her day batting 1-for-3 with a single, a run and a stolen base. With the nabbed base, Haynes now has 39 career stolen bases, moving her into a tie for fifth on MACU's all-time list with current Evangels teammate Emylee Campbell.
• With the defeat, MACU and Tabor are tied at 8-8 in the all-time series starting back on Mar. 19, 2004.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will be seeking to close out the SCS NAIA Invitational on a high note as the Evangels take on British Columbia for an 11 a.m. first pitch at the Mesquite Girls Softball Complex on Saturday.