OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 19 MACU Baseball pulled off two hard-fought victories to move on to the final four of the SAC Tournament behind an outstanding day from Taiga Sakuma and solid pitching by the MACU staff.
 
GAME ONE
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 6, Nelson 3
  • Mid-America Christian (36-13)
  • Nelson (23-25)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Brock Cordes (6-0)
• Loss: Javier Balderas (3-5)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Brock Cordes – W, 8 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 SO
• Taiga Sakuma – 3-4, 2B, R, BB, SB
• Cristopher Munoz – 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB
• Carlos Medina – 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
• Gabriel Dixon – SV, 1 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 1^st – NELS – Joshua Pinter grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b; Alex Ortiz scored – NELS 1, MACU 0
• BTM 3^rd – MACU – Cristopher Munoz singled to short, RBI; Elijah Lee scored – NELS 1, MACU 1
• BTM 3^rd – MACU – D'Andre Gaines flew out to right, sac fly; Taiga Sakuma scored – MACU 2, NELS 1
• TOP 4^th – NELS – Zeke Holder homered to right-center scored – MACU 2, NELS 2
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Cristopher Munoz doubled to right-center; Giordany Mendoza scored; Elijah Lee scored – MACU 4, NELS 2
• BTM 7^th – MACU – Carlos Medina homered to right, 2 RBI; D'Andre Gaines scored – MACU 6, NELS 2
• TOP 8^th – NELS – Alex Ortiz homered to right field, RBI – MACU 6, NELS 3

GAME SUMMARY

• A leadoff walk to Nelson's Andrew Ortiz allowed him to score after he moved to third on a single to right by Nick Mosley. Mid-America Christian starter Brock Cordes bared down by getting a 4-6-3 double play, though it allowed Ortiz to score in the process, giving the Lions an early 1-0 lead.
• MACU threatened to respond in the bottom half of the frame after Taiga Sakuma started it off with a two-bagger on a liner in the left-center gap, but Javier Balderas retired the next three to prevent the Evangels from scoring.
• Cordes worked around a leadoff walk by picking up a couple of strikeouts, leaving Xavien Thompson at third to end the frame.
• Elijah Lee worked an eight-pitch walk leading off the third and advanced to second after Sakuma drew a walk of his own. Cristopher Munoz then got MACU on the board after a hard-hit grounder deflected off the diving shortstop Dominick Padilla and trickled into left, allowing Lee to score from second. D'Andre Gaines then lofted a sac fly to right, plating Sakuma and putting the Evangels ahead 2-1.
• In the fourth Nelson knotted it back up with a 2-2 score on a solo shot to right center by Zeke Holder.
• Sakuma reached on a drag bunt single up the first base line to begin the fifth, he then swiped second and later got to third on an errant pick off attempt that also allowed Munoz to advance into scoring position after he reached on a walk. With second and third nobody out and in prime position to score with the heart of the order up, Balderas escaped the jam on a lineout, strikeout, intentional walk and another strikeout to keep it tied up at 2-2.
• Giordany Mendoza sliced a single on a grounder through the right side and shifted to second on a sac bunt by Conner Thompson. Guillermo Velasco made a pinch-hit appearance and worked a walk, which later set up a two-out two-RBI double to right-center by Munoz, providing MACU with a 4-2 advantage.
• Nelson left a runner stranded on third in the seventh, Cordes picked up his fifth punchout of the contest to retire the inning, preserving a 4-2 lead in the process.
• Carlos Medina connected for a two-run homer to right-center in the seventh, extending the lead to 6-2 for the Evangels.
• Alex Ortiz drilled a solo homer in the eighth, cutting the MACU lead to 6-3.
• Despite loading the bases with nobody out in the eighth, the Evangels had nothing to show for it after a strikeout and a double play got the Lions out of the frame.
• Gabriel Dixon tossed a 1-2-3 ninth with a strikeout included to wrap up a 6-3 MACU victory.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian put up 10 hits while holding Nelson to just three. The Evangels made one error and the Lions made a pair. MACU left a lot on the bone, despite 10 hits and seven walks, they stranded 10 on the bases.
• Brock Cordes turned in a gem, he went a season-high of eight innings, allowing three runs on three hits, four walks and six strikeouts. Cordes pushed his record to 6-0 and now has allowed just four runs across his last 24 innings pitched.
• Cristopher Munoz made an immediate impact returning to the lineup, he had been dealing with a sore hamstring over the last week and delivered a three-hit game, finishing with a double and a pair of single with three driven in.
• Taiga Sakuma also laced a three-hit contest, he also had a double and two singles, he scored once, walked and swiped a bag.
• Carlos Medina connected for his ninth homer of the season, he went 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
• Giordany Mendoza turned in a productive game, he went 1-for-2 with a run, sac bunt and a walk.
• Second basemen Elijah Lee scored twice after going 1-for-2 with a walk.
• D'Andre Gaines drove in a run on a sac fly and scored a run after reaching on a hit-by-pitch.
• Gabriel Dixon converted his third save of the season behind a 1-2-3 ninth.
• It marked the first time the teams have squared off in postseason play with the contests today.

GAME TWO
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 6, Nelson 5
  • Mid-America Christian (37-13)
  • Nelson (23-26)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Gabriel Dixon (5-2)
• Loss: Layton Mogford (3-3)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Taiga Sakuma – 4-6, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB
• Gabriel Dixon – W, 2 IP, 1 H, 1 HBP, 5 SO
• Jonluke Hobdy – 3-5, HR
• Carlos Medina – 2-5, 2B, R

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 2^nd – NELS – Dominick Padilla singled through the left side, RBI; Zeke Holder scored – NELS 1, MACU 0
• BTM 2^nd – MACU – Giordany Mendoza singled through the right side, RBI; Carlos Medina scored – NELS 1, MACU 1
• TOP 4^th – NELS – Andrew Ortiz doubled to left field, 2 RBI; Blair Speas scored; Dominck Padilla scored – NELS 3, MACU 1
• BTM 4^th – MACU – Taiga Sakuma singled through the right side; Elijah Lee scored on the error – NELS 3, MACU 2
• BTM 4^th – MACU – Cristopher Munoz flied out to left-center, sac fly; Taiga Sakuma scored – NELS 3, MACU 3
• TOP 5^th – NELS – Dominick Padilla singled through the right side, RBI; Tristian McGee scored – NELS 4, MACU 3
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Taiga Sakuma homered to right – NELS 4, MACU 4
• TOP 7^th – NELS – Dominick Padilla reached on a fielder's choice to third base; Zeke Holder advanced to third, scored on a throwing error by c – NELS 5, MACU 4
• BTM 7^th – MACU – Jonluke Hobdy homered to right-center – NELS 5, MACU 5
• BTM 10^th – MACU – Taiga Sakuma singled up the middle, RBI; Dyson Kinnaman scored – MACU 6, NELS 5

GAME SUMMARY

• Nelson connected for the first run of the contest after piecing together three hits in the second, Mid-America Christian starter Andrws Acosta did a good job minimizing the damage by getting one of the best Lions bats out in Andrew Ortiz, getting him to pop up to short with the bases juiced.
• MACU answered back in the second with a two-bagger down the third base line and Jonluke Hobdy singled to left to put the runners on the corners with nobody out. Giordany Mendoza then made it three consecutive hits on a single through the right side, tying it up at 1-1.
• A couple of singles set up a two-out first and second situation for Andrew Ortiz, who then came through with a two-RBI double over left fielder Taiga Sakuma's head, scoring both runners and giving the Lions a 3-1 edge.
• With one out and nobody on in the fourth, Elijah Lee drew a walk and scored on a lazer to right by Taiga Sakuma that kicked off the glove of right fielder Nick Mosley and allowed Lee to score all the way from first. It also allowed Sakuma to get to third and score in the next at bat on a sac fly to left off the bat off Cristopher Munoz, tying it back up at a 3-3 score.
• Nelson strung together three hits in the fifth including a RBI single through the right-side by Dominick Padilla, Ryan Smith then entered out the bullpen with first-and-third and one out, he picked up a strikeout and escaped the jam after a wild one got away from catcher Zachary Stark, but he threw it to home to Ryan Smith who tagged out the Nelson runner to retire the inning.
• Sakuma blasted a towering shot over the right field fence to lead off the sixth, tying things back up with a 4-4 score.
• Nelson capitalized off three walks and a MACU error to take a 5-4 lead in the seventh.
• Jonluke Hobdy drilled a solo shot to right center in the back half of the frame to once again tie it back up, with a 5-5 score.
• Andrew Long delivered a scoreless eighth despite allowing two hits, he stranded a runner in scoring position by getting Nick Mosley to line out to center on a fantastic grab by the sliding D'Andre Gaines.
• Gabriel Dixon was inserted in the ninth and threw up a zero behind a pair of strikeouts.
• MACU got the winning run into scoring position in the ninth with one away after Medina legged out an infield single to short and advanced by misthrow winding up in the Nelson dugout. Payton Matthews then pinch-ran and got to third on a groundout, however Mendoza grounded back to the pitcher to push the game to extras.
• Dixon remained on the mound and struck out three more, leaving a runner on first after a two out hit-by-pitch.
• Jesse Ortega pinch-hit leading off the tenth and sliced a grounder up the middle and beat it out for an infield hit. Dyson Kinnaman's name was called upon to pinch run, he got to second via a balk and shifted to third on a bunt single to third by Elijah Lee. Lee stole second setting up two in scoring position for Sakuma, who connected for his fourth hit of the game on a grounder up the box, scoring Kinnaman and providing the Evangels with a 6-5 victory.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian tied a season-high in hits with 16 while giving up 11 to Nelson. Both sides demonstrated a real hit or miss approach with the Evangels having a season-high 14 strikeouts on offense while punching out 13 Lions.
• 13 punchouts for the MACU staff ranked second most against SAC teams this season, with the season-high being 17 against College of the Ozarks in the 12-1 win back on Feb. 24.
• Taiga Sakuma led the way again for the Evangels, he had a career-high four hits and was involved in four of the six MACU runs. Sakuma has now recorded three or more hits in his last three games, he slashed 4-for-6 in game two with a homer, two runs and two batted in.
• The walk-off hit by Sakuma evidently was the only time all game in which the Evangels had a lead, it marked the second time winning in walk-off fashion and both instances happened to be at Putnam City High School with the other coming in the 8-6 win over Central Christian on Feb. 28 on Cristopher Munoz's walk off homer.
• Gabriel Dixon earned the win in relief, he threw two scoreless frames allowing a pair of runners on a single and a hit batsman, he cashed in five strikeouts in just eight batters faced. Dixon is now 3-for-3 in save opportunities since his conversion to the closing role. He has now fanned 10 in his last four outings, combining for five innings pitched and allowing just one hit and walking none.
• Jonluke Hobdy tied his season-high in hits with three, he finished 3-for-5 with a homer.
• Carlos Medina had a pair of base hits, one for extra bases on a double, he scored a run as well.
• D'Andre Gaines made some phenomenal catches out in center and put up four total bases on a couple of doubles.
• Third baseman Giordany Mendoza added a RBI single in his at-bats.
• Elijah Lee wrapped up a solid day with his first multi-hit game of the season, though line drives in the books he executed both hits on bunt singles down the third baseline, nonetheless he added a walk and stolen base while scoring one of the six MACU runs.
• Jesse Ortega had a huge pinch-hit single to lead off the tenth, his hit ending up being the winning run after Dyson Kinnaman pinch-ran for him.
• Ryan Smith and Andrew Long did a great job of holding the Nelson bats, Ryan Smith logged 2.1 innings which tied his season-high, he allowed an unearned run on three walks and two strikeouts. Andrew Long tossed 1.2 innings of shutout ball while giving up a pair of singles. Overall, the MACU bullpen combined for 5.2 innings, one unearned run on three hits, three walks, a hit-by-pitch and seven strikeouts.
• MACU moves the season record to 4-1 against the Lions and are now 8-2 in its last 10 games against Nelson.
• With the pair of victories, the Evangels will finish no worse than fourth in the SAC Tournament for the second year in a row after winning it all for the first time in program history last season.

UP NEXT

• MACU awaits who they will face-off against in the next round in the SAC Tournament. Science & Arts and Oklahoma City both claimed their spots, so the Evangels will scoreboard watch as Wayland Baptist and Texas Wesleyan have yet to conclude game two of their series due to inclement weather. If Wayland advances the Evangels would face USAO, but if Texas Wesleyan wins MACU will face off against them next weekend.