OKLAHOMA CITY – No. 19 MACU Baseball bounced back to win Game Three after losing Game Two of the series, 5-4. The Evangels routed Southwestern Christian 11-3 in the final game after giving up three in the top of the first, responding with 11 unanswered runs on Saturday afternoon at the MACU Baseball Field.
 
GAME ONE

SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 4, Southwestern Christian 5
  • No. 19 Mid-America Christian (9-5, 1-1 SAC)
  • Southwestern Christian (12-3, 1-1 SAC)

PITCHING DECISION

• Win: B. Tucker (1-0)
• Loss: Jayce Moore (2-1)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Nick Hill: 3-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB
• Sammy Hallada: 2-4, 1 R, 1 BB
• Jayce Moore: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 1^st – MACU – Nick Hill singled to left field, RBI; Jalen King scored – MACU 1, SCU 0
• TOP 3^rd – SCU – R. Florenzano homered to left field, 2 RBI; N. Anderson scored – MACU 1, SCU 2
• BTM 5^th – MACU – Tuane Cope sacrifice fly out to center field, RBI; Nick Hill scored – MACU 2, SCU 2
• TOP 6^th – SCU – D. Paredes homered to center field, RBI – MACU 2, SCU 3
• TOP 6^th – SCU – A. O'Malley scored on 2b error – MACU 2, SCU 4
• TOP 6^th – SCU – B. Browning sacrifice fly out to center field, RBI; E. Rojas scored – MACU 2, SCU 5
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Nick Hill homered to left center, 2 RBI; Sammy Hallada scored – MACU 4, SCU 5

GAME SUMMARY

• MACU got the bats active early, starting in the bottom of the first with a lead off single from Sammy Hallada. Hallada got caught stealing but Jalen King replaced him on base. After a stolen base from King, Nick Hill singled to left field to bring in King from second base for the opening run. Two more walks loaded the bases, but the final out came on a strikeout to leave three Evangel runners stranded.
• In the bottom of the second, the Evangels got a single from Elijah Lee and Hallada was walked to quickly get two runners. But a ground out to end the inning racked up two more LOBs for MACU.
• SCU responded in the top of the third with a two-run homer from Royce Florenzano. The Eagles jumped in front 2-1.
• The Evangels equalized in the fifth inning, starting with a lead off single from Hill. A pair of walks loaded the bases. Then Tuane Cope's sacrifice fly deep into center field scored the run of Hill. However, with both base runners in scoring position, MACU left two more runners on base.
• The Eagles hit right back with a solo shot from D. Paredes on the first batter. SCU rattled off consecutive singles to get two base runners. The Evangels committed a fielding error scoring the fourth run, followed by a sacrifice fly to center field to score a fifth and lead 5-2 in the top of the sixth.
• MACU fought back at the bottom end of the inning as Hallada added a second hit of the game with a single through the gap. Nick Hill scored both runs with his third home run of the series to bring the Evangels back with one run at 5-4.
• Three up and three down in the bottom of the seventh ended the game and snapped a nine consecutive win streak for MACU.

 
GAME NOTES

• Although MACU fell one run short of a comeback, the Evangels did outhit the Eagles by a narrow 7-6 margin. However, the Evangels committed two errors to the Eagles one. MACU also left a season-high nine runners on base.
• Although Jayce Moore recorded his first loss of the season, Moore pitched five innings conceding three runs on four hits, while walking just one batter on six strikeouts.
• Nick Hill and Sammy Hallada both tallied multiple hits as Hill went 3-4 with a team-high three RBIs, two runs, and a third home run of the series. Hallada scored a run and was walked on his 2-3 afternoon.

GAME TWO

SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 11, Southwestern Christian 3
  • No. 19 Mid-America Christian (10-5, 2-1 SAC)
  • Southwestern Christian (12-4, 1-2 SAC)

PITCHING DECISION

• Win: Ibrahim Gonzalez (3-0)
• Loss: R. DePaula (3-2)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Ibrahim Gonzalez: W, 7.0 IP, CG, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 97 NP
• Frankie Giacalone: 2-4, 5 RBI, 1 R
• Jalen King: 2-3, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
• Tuane Cope: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB
• Sammy Hallada: 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
• Cole Krepcik: 2-4, 1 RBI

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 1^st – SCU – A. O'Malley and D. Paredes scored on field error – MACU 0, SCU 2
• TOP 1^st – SCU – D. Ornelas doubled down left field line, RBI; E Rojas scored – MACU 0, SCU 3
• BTM 3^rd – MACU – Jalen King doubled to right field, 2 RBI; Elijah Lee and Dyson Kinnaman scored – MACU 2, SCU 3
• BTM 5^th – MACU – Frankie Giacalone homered to left field, 3 RBI; Nick Hill and Jalen King scored – MACU 5, SCU 3
• BTM 5^th – MACU – Cole Krepcik singled down the right field line, RBI; Tuane Cope scored – MACU 6, SCU 3
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Sammy Hallada singled, RBI; Dyson Kinnaman scored – MACU 7, SCU 3
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Jalen King singled down the right field line, RBI; Sammy Hallada scored– MACU 8, SCU 3
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Frankie Giacalone doubled up the middle, 2 RBI; Nick Hill and Jalen King scored – MACU 10, SCU 3
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Tuane Cope doubled to left center, RBI; Sam Wallace scored – MACU 11, SCU 3

GAME SUMMARY

• Southwestern Christian took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first after accumulating fielding errors on the Evangels allowed two runs to score. An RBI double brought home the third run for an early SCU lead.
• The Evangels got to work in the third with a two-out rally with runners in scoring position. Jalen King doubled through the right side to score the runs of Elijah Lee and Dyson Kinnaman. After a Nick Hill walk, the Evangels surrendered the final out of the inning, leaving a pair on the bags.
• Frankie Giacalone opened the floodgates with a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to score both Hill and King. Tuane Cope got to second with a single and a stolen base that Cole Krepcik scored with a single to right field. MACU led 6-3.
• The Evangels added five more in the sixth, starting first with Sammy Hallada single, forcing a throwing error and scoring Kinnaman. King singled to right field to bring Hallada home for an 8-3 lead. Giacalone hit a deep double for his fourth and fifth RBI of the afternoon. Then Cope doubled to left center to score Sam Wallace who was pinch running for Giacalone at second base.
• Ibrahim Gonzalez closed out the game in the top of the seventh and recorded his first complete game of the season. Gonzalez struck out his final batter to seal an 11-3 bounce back Evangel rout and take the SAC opening series against Southwestern Christian.

 
GAME NOTES

• MACU finished with double digit hits reaching 13, while holding SCU to just four.
• Ibrahim Gonzalez notched his first complete game of the season, on six strikeouts in under 100 total pitches. Gonzalez conceded zero earned runs and conceded four hits and three walks.
• The Evangels' bats were red hot as five MACU batters finished with multiple hits. Frankie Giacalone led the way with five RBIs, a second-highest individual mark for him this season. Jalen King reached home twice, while batting in three runs.
• Mid-America Christian extended its all-time record against its rival Southwestern Christian to 23-20, while avenging last season's series loss to the Eagles.

 
UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will stay at home for a non-conference midweek rematch against Friends with first pitch at 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon at the MACU Baseball Field. The Evangels will return to Sooner Athletic Conference play next weekend with a trip to Texas Wesleyan.