OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 17 MACU Baseball team pulled away with a three-game sweep over Panhandle with a 12-4 win Sunday afternoon behind 14 hits and a solid outing by Gabriel Dixon, who logged seven innings with 4 runs given up.
 
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 12, Panhandle State 4
  • Mid-America Christian (22-7, 10-2 SAC)
  • Panhandle State (9-20, 2-10 SAC)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Gabriel Dixon (4-1)
• Loss: Braden Greene (1-4)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Payton Matthews – 2-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R
• D'Andre Gaines – 3-5, 3B, R
• Noel McGarry-Doyle – 1-4, 2 RBI, R, BB
• Carlos Medina – 2-5, 2 RBI
• Gabriel Dixon – W, 7 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO

 
SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 1^st – OPSU – A. Hernandez doubled down the lf line, 2 RBI; Ryota Kusumoto scored; Israel Gandara scored – OPSU 2, MACU 0
• TOP 1^st – OPSU – Xavier Garcia singled to center field, 2 RBI; Alejandro Hernandez scored; Bryan Montano scored – OPSU 4, MACU 0
• BTM 1^st – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle singled to left field, RBI; Giordany Mendoza scored – OPSU 4, MACU 1
• BTM 1^st – MACU – Payton Matthews doubled to left field, 2 RBI; Brett Justice scored; Noel McGarry-Doyle scored – OPSU 4, MACU 3
• BTM 1^st – MACU – Carlos Medina singled to right center, RBI; Payton Matthews scored – OPSU 4, MACU 4
• BTM 2^nd – MACU – Payton Matthews flied out to lf, sacrifice fly, RBI; Taiga Sakuma scored – MACU 5, OPSU 4
• BTM 3^rd – MACU – Zachary Stark lined out to lf, sacrifice fly, RBI; D'Andre Gaines scored – MACU 6, OPSU 4
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle walked, RBI; Dyson Kinnaman scored – MACU 7, OPSU 4
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Brett Justice reached on a fielder's choice to second base, RBI; Taiga Sakuma scored – MACU 8, OPSU 4
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Julian Martinez advanced to second on a muffed throw by 1b, failed pickoff attempt; Giordany Mendoza scored on the error – MACU 9, OPSU 4
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Payton Matthews doubled to left center, RBI; Julian Martinez scored – MACU 10, OPSU 4
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Carlos Medina doubled to left center, RBI; Payton Matthews scored – MACU 11, OPSU 4
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Jacob Police singled through the left side, RBI; Alek Guzman scored – MACU 12, OPSU 4

GAME SUMMARY

• Panhandle State got on the scoreboard in the top of the first, loading the bases on a hit-by-pitch, walk and infield single. With two outs and the bases juiced, Alejandro Hernandez drilled a 2-RBI double to left and Xavier Garcia singled home two more on a single to center, providing an early 4-0 advantage for the Aggies.
• In the bottom of the first the Evangels responded with a four spot of their own. Giordany Mendoza worked an 0-2 count to a walk, he got to second on a wild pitch and scored on a line drive single to left by Noel McGarry-Doyle. Brett Justice then doubled down the right field line making it second and third, Payton Matthews dropped a single to left scoring a pair, cutting the OPSU lead to 4-3. Carlos Medina knotted it up at 4-4 on a single to right, plating Matthews.
• Sakuma started off the second with a bunt single to third, and advanced to third on a double to left by Mendoza. The Evangels executed a run in the frame, taking a 5-4 lead on Matthews' sac fly to left allowing Sakuma to score.
• MACU added on in the third, D'Andre Gaines led off with an infield single and moved to third on a liner to left by Jacob Police, and scored on a sac fly to left by Zachary Stark.
• Gabriel Dixon continued to settle in, tossing his third scoreless frame in a row following a four-run first, working his way around a leadoff single in the fourth keeping MACU ahead 6-4.
• After a couple of scoreless innings, MACU got back in the scoring column in the sixth. Stark led it off with a free pass, Dyson Kinnaman courtesy ran and swiped second and advanced to third on a single up the middle by Sakuma that was knocked down by second baseman Ryota Kusumoto. Mendoza then walked, forcing starter Braden Greene out of the game and making it bases-loaded with nobody out for the Evangels.
• MACU took advantage of the bases loaded nobody out scenario, scoring six in the inning that included back-to-back RBI doubles by Matthews and Medina as well as Police mixing in a RBI single, jumping the Evangels lead to 12-4.
• Bradley Waite relieved Dixon and threw a scoreless eighth, and Jaxon James entered for the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning on three groundouts to the left side, providing MACU with a 12-4 victory.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian outhit Panhandle 14-6, while the Aggies committed two errors to the Evangels none.
• 14 hits fell just one shy of the season high for MACU, a feat that has been accomplished four times this season of 15 hits in a game.
• MACU continued to have an eagle in the box, working eight walks after being walked 16 times in game two yesterday.
• The Evangels saw five starters record more than one hit, including eight of the nine starters picking up a knock.
• MACU kept the bats hot, scoring at least 12 runs in all three games of the series.
• The last 15 wins for the Evangels have all included eight or more runs.
• Payton Matthews was the main facilitator in the box, he drove in four on a pair of doubles and scored twice.
• D'Andre Gaines had a season high of three hits, he went 3-for-5 with a triple and run scored.
• Jacob Police, Carlos Medina and Taiga Sakuma all finished with two hits, Medina drove in a pair and Sakuma scored twice.
• Noel McGarry-Doyle extended his hitting streak to nineteen games after posting a 1-for-4 clip.
• Giordany Mendoza reached base safely three times off a double and a couple walks, he has now gotten on base in 26 of his 28 games.
• First baseman Brett Justice added on a RBI double, he finished 1-for-3 with a run and a walk.
• Gabriel Dixon now is tied with Fabian Hernandez with a team high of four wins, Dixon worked his way around a tough first inning, in which he allowed three hits, a walk, hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch for four runs. Dixon went scoreless the rest of the way, tossing six innings allowing just one more hit on two more walks and another hit batsman. Overall, Dixon posted a new season-high in innings pitched with seven.
• Jaxon James logged his fifth scoreless outing of the season, he needed just six pitches to complete the ninth.
• MACU makes it 15 straight wins over the Aggies dating back to the 2021 season.

UP NEXT

• MACU gets right back after it with a non-conference matchup tomorrow afternoon against Sterling, with a first pitch slated for 3:00 p.m. in Sterling, Kansas.