FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 19 MACU Baseball used extra innings to win game one 4-3, then blew the doors off game two in a thumping 17-4 win against Texas Wesleyan in the Evangels first conference road test on Friday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas.
 
GAME ONE

SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 4, Texas Wesleyan 3
  • No. 19 Mid-America Christian (12-5, 3-1 SAC)
  • Texas Wesleyan (16-2, 3-1 SAC)

PITCHING DECISION

• Win: Ryan Smith (1-0)
• Loss: L. Zakman (0-1)
• Save: Liam Taft (8)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Frankie Giacalone: 2-4, 1 R
• Jahzeel Groetelaers: 2-3, 1 2B
• Jesse Ortega: 1-1, 1 HR, 2 RBI
• Fabian Hernandez: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 3^rd – TWU – J. Erickson doubled down the left field line, RBI; I. Garcia scored – MACU 0, TWU 1
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Tuane Cope singled to right field, RBI; Nick Hill scored – MACU 1, TWU 1
• BTM 6^th – TWU – E. Jaquez scored on passed ball – MACU 1, TWU 2
• TOP 7^th – MACU – Jalen King singled to right field, RBI; Dyson Kinnaman scored – MACU 2, TWU 2
• TOP 8^th – MACU – Jesse Ortega homered to left field, 2 RBI; Frankie Giacalone scored – MACU 4, TWU 3
• BTM 8^th – TWU – E. Jaquez homered to center field, RBI – MACU 4, TWU 3

GAME SUMMARY

• Three walks in the opening half inning from the Rams quickly loaded the bases for MACU. However, the third out came to leave three Evangel base runners out in the top of the first.
• Texas Wesleyan took the lead in the bottom of the third after a lead off single, followed by a sacrifice bunt advanced I. Garcia to second. A double down the left field line scored the opening run.
• The Evangels knotted it up at one in the top of the sixth with two baserunners early in Nick Hill and Adam Hanan. Tuane Cope singled to right field to bring in Hill's run from second base. However, a groundout double play ended the half inning as MACU settled for just one.
• The Rams took the lead right back in the bottom of the sixth after a triple to left center got a baserunner a bag away from the lead. A passed ball scored the run for a 2-1 TWU advantage.
• The Evangels responded again with their last chance in the seventh with two outs, Sammy Hallada doubled to left center field. Dyson Kinnaman came in to pinch run and advanced to third on a passed ball. Jalen King's equalizing RBI single scored the run of Kinnaman.
• In the first extra inning, Frankie Giacalone's lead off single quickly applied pressure on the mound. Jesse Ortega came up next and hit the go-ahead home run to score both runs and give MACU its first lead of the afternoon at 4-2.
• The Rams had one final in the bottom of the eighth and responded with a lead off solo home run. However, Liam Taft took over mound duties and forced three straight outs to record his NAIA leading eighth save of the season.

 
GAME NOTES

• MACU out the hit battle by a 9-7 margin over TWU. However, the Evangels left nine runners on base to the Rams six.  
• Fabian Hernandez got the start and went 5.1 innings conceding six hits and two earned runs but struck out six batters with just two walks. Ryan Smith came in and got credited for his first win of the season, pitching a hitless five outs with one strikeout. Liam Taft closed it out in the eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts and the save, as Taft tallied his eighth save to lead NAIA, while overtaking solo second sitting two saves away from the program record 10 saves.
• Frankie Giacalone and Jahzeel Groetelaers both record two-hit games. Groetelaers hit a double in the eighth for an extra bag. While Jesse Ortega hit the lone Evangel home run for a team-high two RBIs.

GAME TWO

SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 17, Texas Wesleyan 4
  • No. 19 Mid-America Christian: (13-5, 4-1 SAC)
  • Texas Wesleyan: (16-3, 3-2 SAC)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Frankie Giacalone: 3-4, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R
• Nick Hill: 2-2, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
• Tuane Cope: 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB
• Cole Krepcik: 2-4, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 RBI

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 2^nd – MACU – Elijah Lee walked, RBI; Adam Hanan scored – MACU 1, TWU 0
• TOP 2^nd – MACU – Sammy Hallada singled, RBI; Tuane Cope scored – MACU 2, TWU 0
• TOP 2^nd – MACU – Jalen King singled, RBI; Cole Krepcik scored – MACU 3, TWU 0
• TOP 2^nd – MACU – Nick Hill doubled, 2 RBI; Sammy Hallada and Elijah Lee scored – MACU 5, TWU 0
• TOP 2^nd – MACU – Frankie Giacalone sacrifice fly to center field, RBI; Jalen King scored – MACU 6, TWU 0
• BTM 2^nd – TWU – G. Buttaci singled to center field, RBI; B. Vela scored – MACU 6, TWU 1
• BTM 3^rd – TWU – J. Erickson scored on a wild pitch – MACU 6, TWU 2
• BTM 3^rd – TWU – J. Pena sacrifice fly to center field, RBI; Jaquez scored – MACU 6, TWU 3
• TOP 4^th – MACU – Nick Hill homered to center field, RBI – MACU 7, TWU 3
• TOP 4^th – MACU – Frankie Giacalone homered to center field, RBI – MACU 8, TWU 3
• BTM 5^th – TWU – J. Herrera singled to right field, Jaquez scored – MACU 8, TWU 4
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Nick Hill walked, RBI; Elijah Lee scored – MACU 9, TWU 4
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Frankie Giacalone homered to right field, 4 RBI; Nick Hill, Jalen King, Sammy Hallada scored – MACU 13, TWU 4
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Jahzeel Groetelaers sacrifice fly, RBI; Tuane Cope scored – MACU 14, TWU 4
• TOP 7^th – MACU – Tuane Cope doubled down right field line, 2 RBI; Frankie Giacalone and Nick Hill scored – MACU 16, TWU 4
• TOP 7^th – MACU – Cole Krepcik singled to left field, RBI; Julio Felix scored – MACU 17, TWU 4

GAME SUMMARY

• The Evangels quickly loaded the bases in the top of the second as Adam Hanan was hit by the pitch, followed by consecutive singles from Tuane Cope and Cole Krecik. Elijah Lee walked to bring in the opening run. Then back-to-back RBI singles from Sammy Hallada and Jalen King scored the second and third run. Nick Hill up next doubled to the outfield to score two more runs while advancing King to third. Frankie Giacalone's sacrifice fly out to center field scored the sixth run of this half inning.
• Texas Wesleyan pulled one back in the bottom of the second after a lead off walk and a single put two runners on. A single to center field scored the runner from second to cut the lead to 6-1.
• The Rams added two more in the third as they quickly loaded the bases again. A wild pitch brought in the second run from third and advanced the other runners. Then a sacrifice fly scored the third run from third base.
• MACU brought the fireworks again this time- in the top of the fourth. Consecutive solo home runs from Hill and Giacalone made it 8-3.
• In the bottom of the fifth, the Rams cut the deficit in half down 8-4, after an RBI single scored the fourth run while advancing the base runner to third. However, consecutive pop-up outs ended the ending and stranding the runner on third.
• The Evangels exploded in the sixth inning again to score six runs on just three hits. Lee hit the lead off single, then Hallada and King were intentionally walked. Hill's RBI walk scored Lee while keeping the bases loaded. Up stepped Giacalone who hammered in all four home runs for the first grand slam of the season, and Giacalone's second home run of the game. MACU again had two base runners after the bases emptied. Groetelaers' sacrifice fly scored a 14^th run, and the sixth of the half inning.
• MACU tacked on three more in the seventh with two outs, Hill walked, Giacalone singled, and Julio Felix walked. Cope's two RBI double to right field scored Hill and Giacalone, then Krepcik singled to left field to score Felix's run to dominate the Rams 17-4.

 
GAME NOTES

• MACU ended with its second-highest season total of hits with 14 to Texas Wesleyan's seven. The Evangels scored a season-high 17 runs, overtaking the previous mark of 15 scored against Peru State in MACU's home opening series.  
• Frankie Giacalone dominated the hitter's box with a 3-4 afternoon, scoring a team-high three runs, while batting in six. Giacalone hit two home runs, including the grand slam in the sixth. Nick Hill batted 2-2 with two walks and three runs. Hill hit a solo home run, while also batting in four runners. Cole Krepcik added a 2-4, two run, two walk, and one RBI afternoon. While Tuane Cope made it four MACU batters with multi-hit games, hitting 3-5 with two runs scored and two runs batted in. Cope also stole a team-high two bags.
• MACU cut into the all-time record against TWU, winning five consecutive games. However, the Rams still lead it 31-12.

 
UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian stays in Fort Worth, Texas for Game Three of the series against Texas Wesleyan with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.