SHREVEPORT, La. – The No. 19 MACU Baseball Team dropped the first game of the Opening Round of the NAIA by a 13-6 final in the first ever matchup against Johnson (Tenn.). The Evangel arms could not contain the Royals past the fifth, as 12 of the 13 runs came in the fifth and beyond.
 
SCORE

• Johnson 13, Mid-America Christian 6
  • Mid-America Christian (38-16)
  • Johnson (36-16)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Colby Reynolds (13-2)
• Loss: Brock Cordes (6-2)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Taiga Sakuma – 3-5, R
• Cristopher Munoz – 2-4, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB, SB
• Noel McGarry-Doyle – 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI
• Elijah Lee – 1-2, R, 2 SB

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 1^st – MACU – Cristopher Munoz homered to right, RBI – MACU 1, JU 0
• TOP 3^rd – JU – Edwin Olmeda Jr. grounded out to short, RBI; Isaac Lawson scored – MACU 1, JU 1
• BTM 3^rd – MACU – Elijah Lee scored on a throwing error by the catcher – MACU 2, JU 1
• BTM 3^rd – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle grounded out to second, RBI; Cristopher Munoz scored – MACU 3, JU 1
• TOP 5^th – JU – Brayden Taylor grounded out to short, RBI; Bryson Shown scored – MACU 3, JU 2
• TOP 5^th – JU – Nolan Cusey singled to left, 2 RBI; Olmeda Jr. Scored; Luke Wilson scored – JU 4, MACU 3
• TOP 5^th – JU – Cade Liefer doubled to left-center, 2 RBI; Travis Hobbensiefken scored; Nolan Cusey scored – JU 6, MACU 3
• TOP 5^th – JU – Bryson Shown doubled to right field, 2 RBI; Cade Liefer scored; Braden Frank scored – JU 8, MACU 3
• BTM 5^th – MACU – Noel McGarry-Doyle homered to left, 3 RBI; Taiga Sakuma scored; Cristopher Munoz scored – JU 8, MACU 6
• TOP 7^th – JU – Cade Liefer singled to left; RBI; Nolan Cusey scored – JU 9, MACU 6
• TOP 7^th – JU – Bryson Shown singled to left; RBI; Cade Liefer scored – JU 10, MACU 6
• TOP 9^th – JU – Bryson Shown homered to left, 3 RBI; Cade Lieder scored; Nolan Cusey scored – JU 13, MACU 6

GAME SUMMARY

• Mid-America Christian starting pitcher Brock Cordes worked around a single in the top of the first, getting a 4-6-3 double play to retire the frame.
• Taiga Sakuma reached on a single to start off things for MACU, but he was gunned down attempting to steal second. However, MACU captured the lead just a couple of pitches later on a solo shot to right by Cristopher Munoz, providing the early 1-0 advantage.
• Alonzo Zuniga connected for a leadoff double to right leading off the third, he was courtesy ran for by Isaac Lawson, who moved to third on a flyout to right. Lawson then scored on a groundout to short off the bat of Edwin Olmeda Jr., tying it up at 1-1.
• Elijah Lee singled on a ball that was deflected off the Royals starter Colby Reynolds to leadoff the third. Lee then got the wheels turning, he swiped second and third in the midst of Munoz's at bat. After Munoz was granted first on ball four, he swiped second and an errant throw by Johnson catcher Olmeda Jr. allowed Lee to score and Munoz to reach third. Noel McGarry-Doyle then made a productive out to second base, plating Munoz and extending the lead to 3-1.
• Cordes got three outs in the three batters faced for the third time through four innings, keeping MACU ahead 3-1 after three and a half complete.
• In the Top of the fifth Johnson got a run back with a leadoff double down the left-field line by Bryson Shown, he advanced to third on a flyout to center and scored on a groundout to short by Brayden Taylor.
• The Royals were not done in the fifth, with two outs and nobody on Olmeda Jr. walked and Luke Wilson singled on a chopper that deflected off Cordes' glove that was scooped up by shortstop Carlos Medina, however Medina's throw got past first basemen Brett Justice, allowing both runners to get into scoring position and Nolan Cusey dropped a single into left, scoring both runners and providing Johnson with its first lead of the day up 4-3. A walk and three more hits made it seven straight Royals batters reaching base, scoring four more in the process, extending the lead to 8-3.
• Back-to-back singles by Sakuma and Munoz set up first and second with one away for McGarry-Doyle. The corner outfielder stepped up with a huge three-run opposite field homer, putting MACU right back in it, down 8-6.
• After a scoreless sixth, reliever Ryan Smith allowed two runs in the seventh on four singles and a pair of wild pitches, allowing the Royals to carry a 10-6 lead into the back half of the seventh.
• Following nearly three hours of a rain delay, play finally resumed in the back half of the eighth, D'Andre Gaines reached scoring position on a double to left with one down, he moved over to third on a fly out to right, however Giordany Mendoza flew out to left to put down the threat.
• In the ninth the Royals tacked on three more to take a commanding 13-6 lead due to a three-run homer to left by Shown.
• Julian Martinez pinch-hit and was hit-by-a-pitch, but nothing else was brewing for MACU in the ninth, allowing Johnson to end it ahead 13-6.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian laced nine hits while surrendering 16 to Johnson, both teams made a pair of errors. Johnson executed runs at a very-high rate, leaving only two on base, however the majority of the damage came with two outs. Royals hitters finished 10-for-18 with two-away, including 10 RBIs and succeed in 17 of 22 advancement attempts.
• The Evangel staff struggled to cool down Johnson's bats, it marked just the fourth time (108 games) in the last two seasons MACU has allowed 16 or more hits in a game.
• MACU had dominant performances from its corner outfielders, as Taiga Sakuma recorded a three-hit game, going 3-for-5 with a run, and Noel McGarry-Doyle drove in four behind a three-run blast and an RBI groundout.
• Designated hitter Cristopher Munoz scored half of the Evangel runs, he finished 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk.
• Elijah Lee swiped a pair of bases and recorded a hit, while also scoring a run.
• Brock Cordes received his second loss of the season, he was solid through the first four but could not escape the fifth.

UP NEXT

• MACU must win tomorrow in order to keep its hopes at a National Title alive, with an 11:00 a.m. matchup against Southern University New Orleans with the possibility of it being pushed back due to weather conditions.