OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Softball team came up with a pair of go-ahead hits in the final two innings of each game of Saturday's doubleheader against Langston at Allen Field as the Evangels pulled out a pair of 7-6, 6-5 victories to take the series.
 
GAME ONE
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 7, Langston 6
  • Mid-America Christian (8-16, 6-9 SAC)
  • Langston (6-7, 1-6 SAC)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Emmerson Dickinson (5-7)
• Loss: Monica Coates (0-2)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Saina Willis – 3-4, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB
• Mia Macias – 3-4, 2 RBI
• Taylor Martinez – 2-4, RBI
• Dakota Watson – 1-3, 2 R, HBP
• Nyssa Dunn – 4 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 1^st – MACU – Mia Macias singled to right-center, RBI; Kayten Herman scored on throw; Dakota Watson scored – MACU 2, LU 0
• BTM 1^st – MACU – Heidi Noisey singled to right-center, RBI; Saina Willis scored – MACU 3, LU 0
• TOP 3^rd – LU – Meilani Butts singled up the middle, RBI; Jadyn Harper scored – MACU 3, LU 1
• BTM 4^th – MACU – Mia Macias singled up the middle, RBI; Serena Rodriguez scored – MACU 4, LU 1
• BTM 4^th – MACU – Saina Willis singled to right-center, RBI; Dakota Watson scored – MACU 5, LU 1
• TOP 6^th – LU – Jadyn Harper singled thru left side, RBI; Brooke Stewart scored – MACU 5, LU 2
• TOP 6^th – LU – Adlemi Rodriguez doubled to center, 3 RBI; Jadyn Harper scored; Ari Bell scored; Azul Rios scored – MACU 5, LU 5
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Saina Willis tripled to right-center, RBI; Jorjanna King scored – MACU 6, LU 5
• BTM 6^th – MACU – Taylor Martinez bunt singled to p, RBI; Saina Willis scored – MACU 7, LU 5
• TOP 7^th – LU – Alexus Worthy singled down rf line, RBI; Asharah Thibodeaux scored – MACU 7, LU 6

GAME SUMMARY

• Mid-America Christian got the wheels in-motion right out of the gate, taking advantage of a pair of Langston miscues in the bottom of the first as Dakota Watson started it off by reaching on a hit-by-pitch before Kayten Herman reached on a dropped popup by the shortstop before Mia Macias drove in both runners by slapping an RBI single to right-center and then getting caught in a rundown to allow Herman to come home, making it a 2-0 contest.
• After Saina Willis also reached on a muffed catch error by the first baseman and stole second, she came home on Heidi Noisey's RBI base knock to the right-center field gap to make it a 3-0 game.
• Langston mustered its first major threat of the contest in the top of the third as it took advantage of an Alexus Worth leadoff single and an Adlemi Rodriguez walk after Jadyn Harper reached on a fielder's choice out at second. Meilani Butts brought in the Lions first run on her RBI single up the middle, but MACU starting pitcher Nyssa Dunn limited the damage by getting a fielder's choice out at third to keep it to a 3-1 game.
• It looked as though Langston was going to cut the deficit to one in the top of the fourth when Tandy Garrett led of the inning with a double to right-center. Even though Dunn retired the next two batters, Worthy smacked a single into left-center, but Gia Reynosa scooped up the ball and made a sensational toss to home to throw out Garrett trying to score to wrap-up the inning.
• Even though MACU threatened with back-to-back singles off the bats of Kiley Flores and Serena Rodriguez to start off the bottom of the fourth, it appeared Langston might be able to navigate its way out of it when a runner interference call at short and a flyout to center kept runners at first and second with two outs. However, Macias smashed an RBI single up the middle before Willis dropped an RBI single into right-center to bring in two to make it 5-1.
• While MACU still threatened to add more in the fourth when Taylor Martinez dropped a bloop single down the right field line to load the bases with two outs, but the Lions escaped further damage when Butts made a sensational leaping grab on Noisey's hard hit line drive to center to keep it a 5-1 game.
• The Lions tried to put together a response in the top of the fifth, getting the first two baserunners aboard and a pair of infield singles to short before a sac bunt moved both into scoring position with one out. However, MACU reliever Emmerson Dickinson got out of the jam by striking out Butts and getting Asharah Thibodeaux to ground out to short to end the inning.
• Unfortunately, MACU wasn't able to hold down the Lions for long as they mustered a massive two-out rally in the top of the sixth as Harper's high bouncer toward third bounced over the head of Flores to score one bases-loaded run before the red-hot bat of Rodriguez hammered a bases-clearing double to the center field wall to tie the game.
• However, it didn't take long for the Evangels to answer back in their half of the sixth. Following Macias slapping a one-out single through the left side, her pinch-runner Jorjanna King came around to score when Willis hammered MACU's only extra-base hit of the contest to the right-center field wall as the RBI triple put the Evangels back in-front 6-5. MACU utilized her speed as Taylor Martinez laid down a perfectly executed safety squeeze bunt single to the pitcher, scoring Willis for a pivotal insurance run to make it 7-5.
• Langston put the Evangels on-edge in the top of the seventh as two of the first four batters reached on Thibodeaux's leadoff walk and Brooke Stewart's one-out single to center. While Dickinson was able to strike out Azul Rios for the second out, both runners ended up moving up to second and third on a passed ball before Worthy dropped a bloop single down the right field line to cut the deficit to 7-6 and bringing the tying run to third.
• On Ari Bell's at-bat, Martinez made a sensational defensive play on her grounder on the left side and managed to throw out the speedy Bell by a step to secure the 7-6 victory.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian scored it seven runs on 14 hits and committed one error while the Lions notched their six runs on 13 hits with a pair of defensive miscues.
• Sophomore Saina Willis put together the best game of her young Evangels career, recording her first career three-hit game after slashing 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs, two stolen bases, and a pair of runs scored, all of which being career-highs for the Samoan second baseman.
• Mia Macias also turned in a three-hit day as well, batting 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.
• Dakota Watson was the only other Evangel to score multiple runs in the contest, finishing the day 1-for-3 with a pair of runs and also reached on a hit-by-pitch.
• Taylor Martinez and Gia Reynosa also notched multi-hit days at the dish, each batting 2-for-4 while Martinez added an RBI to her line.
• Despite not getting the win, Nyssa Dunn tossed four strong innings in her start, allowing only one earned run on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts over four innings of work.
• Emmerson Dickinson recorded her fifth win of the season in the circle after getting four strikeouts over three innings of relief.

GAME TWO
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 6, Langston 5
  • Mid-America Christian (9-16, 7-9 SAC)
  • Langston (6-8, 1-7 SAC)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Gia Reynosa (3-3)
• Loss: Lilly Ritter (3-3)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Kayten Herman – 1-2, 3B, RBI, R, BB
• Dakota Watson – 1-2, RBI, R
• Heidi Noisey – 1-3, RBI
• Jorjanna King – 1-2, 2 R, BB
• Nyssa Dunn – 4 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• BTM 1^st – MACU – Kayten Herman tripled down rf line, RBI; Dakota Watson scored – MACU 1, LU 0
• BTM 1^st – MACU – Mia Macias grounded out to ss, RBI; Kayten Herman scored – MACU 2, LU 0
• BTM 2^nd – MACU – Jorjanna King singled to left; Gia Reynosa scored on throwing error by 3b – MACU 3, LU 0
• BTM 2^nd – MACU – Dakota Watson hit a sac fly to rf, RBI; Jorjanna King scored – MACU 4, LU 0
• TOP 4^th – LU – Brooke Stewart singled to left, RBI; Meilani Butts scored – MACU 4, LU 1
• TOP 4^th – LU – Ari Bell hit a sac fly to cf, RBI; Asharah Thibodeaux scored – MACU 4, LU 2
• BTM 4^th – MACU – Madison Schroeder singled to right, RBI; Jorjanna King scored – MACU 5, LU 2
• TOP 5^th – LU – Ryan Cornist doubled down lf line, RBI; Jadyn Harper scored – MACU 5, LU 3
• TOP 5^th – LU – Brooke Stewart doubled to left-center, 2 RBI; Ryan Cornist scored; Asharah Thibodeaux scored – MACU 5, LU 5
• BTM 5^th – MACU – Heidi Noisey singled to right-center, RBI; Saina Willis scored – MACU 6, LU 5

GAME SUMMARY

• Langston eyed taking an early lead in the top of the first as Jadyn Harper led off the contest with a double to left-center and Adlemi Rodriguez drew a walk before both were moved into scoring position on Meilani Butts sac bunt. However, getting her third consecutive start of the weekend, Nyssa Dunn got out of it by inducing a lineout to short and a pop-up in foul territory to third to keep the Lions off the board.
• The Evangels immediately got the wheels in-motion right out of the gate in their half of the first. After Dakota Watson singled through the left side to start it off, Kayten Herman mashed a line drive triple down the right field line bring in the first score of the game. Herman then scored on Mia Macias' RBI groundout to short to set the score to 2-0.
• Once again, MACU took advantage of a pair of Lions defensive mistakes in the second as Gia Reynosa slid into first to beat out an infield single and advanced to second on the second baseman's errant throw into the LU dugout. After Jorjanna King blooped a single to left to move Reynosa to third, she headily advanced to second on the throw to third before the third baseman over threw the second baseman trying to get King out, allowing Reynosa to score on the error.
• The Evangels added one more run in the second as Serena Rodriguez's deep fly ball to center allowed King to tag up and take third before Watson's sac fly to right brought in the run to make it a 4-0 contest.
• The Lions threatened to put up a crooked inning in their half of the fourth as the first four batters reached via a hit as Brooke Stewart's single to left brought in one before Ari Bell hit a one-out sac fly to center to score another, closing the gap to 4-2.
• MACU got one of the runs back in its half of the fourth. Following King's one-out walk before being moved over to second on a groundout, Madison Schroeder dropped in a Texas Leaguer RBI single into right to plate King, making it a 5-2 game.
• Unfortunately, much like the first game, the Lions took advantage of MACU's relief pitching. With a runner at first and two out, Asharah Thibodeaux slipped a single through the left side before Ryan Cornist dropped a shallow pop-up double down the left field line between three fielders to close it to 5-3 and put two in scoring position.
• Stewart then brought in both runners with her two-RBI double to the right-center field wall, bringing the game even at 5-5.
• In MACU's half of the fifth, Saina Willis once again came up huge for the Evangels by once again representing the game-winning run. After drawing a one-out walk and stealing second on the same pitch that struck out Taylor Martinez, Heidi Noisey drove in the winning run with her RBI single to the right-center field gap, bringing the score to 6-5.
• Despite a tough five inning of relief for Reynosa, the junior pitcher shut down the Lions over the final two innings, allowing only one base runner on a two-out single by Jadyn Harper in the sixth as the Evangels secured the 6-5 win.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian scored its six runs on seven hits while Langston notched its five runs on 10 hits with a pair of errors.
• Overall, seven different Evangels recorded hits in the contest with five players recording an RBI apiece.
• Dakota Watson and Kayten Herman each finished with an RBI and a run apiece, as Herman slashed 1-for-2 with a triple and a walk while Watson batted 1-for-2 as well.
• Jorjanna King was the only Evangel to score multiple runs, finishing 1-for-2 with a pair of runs and also drew a walk.
• Getting her third-straight start, Nyssa Dunn threw four solid innings for the Evangels, allowing only two earned runs on five hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts.
• Gia Reynosa improved to 3-3 in the circle after throwing the final three innings in relief.
• By getting the victory, the Evangels secured the season series by taking the final three games after dropping the opener on Friday. Not only did the pair of wins on Saturday allow MACU to improve to 32-9 all-time against Langston, but it has won every season series since Langston joined the Sooner Athletic Conference in 2019.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will be back on the road on Friday as the Evangels will open a four-game set against Central Christian in McPherson, Kan. The opening doubleheader is slated for a 3 p.m. start on CCCK's campus.