MCPHERSON, Kan. – The MACU Softball team picked up its first four-game series sweep of the season at Central Christian on Saturday afternoon as the Evangels cruised to a pair of 4-0, 7-4 victories over the Tigers.
 
GAME ONE
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 4, Central Christian 0
  • Mid-America Christian (12-16, 10-9 SAC)
  • Central Christian (11-18, 4-15 SAC)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Gia Reynosa (4-3)
• Loss: Chelsie Hirtler (6-8)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Gia Reynosa – W, CG, SHO, 7 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 SO
• Kayten Herman – 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB
• Serena Rodriguez – 2-3, BB, SB
• Nyssa Dunn – 2-3, 2B, R
• Heidi Noisey – 1-2, RBI

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 3^rd – MACU – Kayten Herman doubled to left, RBI; Nyssa Dunn scored – MACU 1, CCCK 0
• TOP 3^rd – MACU – Mia Macias hit a sac fly to 2b, RBI; Kiley Flores scored – MACU 2, CCCK 0
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Heidi Noisey reached on a dropped fly error by cf, sac fly, RBI; Emmerson Dickinson scored – MACU 3, CCCK 0
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Jorjanna King grounded out to p, sac bunt, RBI; Saina Willis scored – MACU 4, CCCK 0

GAME SUMMARY

• Neither team put together a huge scoring threat until the top of the third when Nyssa Dunn opened the frame by hitting a hard ground ball double down the third base line to start off the inning. After Kiley Flores drew a walk to follow, Kayten Herman gave MACU the lead two batters later with her hammered RBI double to the left field wall, making it a 1-0 game.
• In the very next at-bat, while Mia Macias popped out to the second baseman in shallow right field, it was deep enough to score the speedy Flores tagging up from third on the sac fly before the Tigers were able to double off Herman trying to take third, extending the edge to 2-0.
• While Central Christian struggled to string together much of a threat for most of the game, the most dangerous chance for the Tigers came in the bottom of the fifth as Jaci Jeffers led off the frame with a walk before Baylee Blackburn smacked a single into center after back-to-back strikeouts to put runners at the corners. However, MACU pitcher Gia Reynosa completed striking out the side by getting Chelsie Hirtler to swing at strike three to end the threat.
• After struggling to get the bats going against the Tigers ace in Hirtler all game, MACU manufactured some insurance runs in the top of the sixth. After pinch hitter Emmerson Dickinson and Saina Willis recorded back-to-back walks to start off the frame, Taylor Martinez moved both runners over on a sac bunt. Heidi Noisey brought in one run on a flyball to left that resulted in a dropped fly error when the center fielder collided with the left fielder for the sac fly before Jorjanna King put down a safety squeeze RBI bunt to bring in Willis, rounding out the scoring at 4-0.
• The Evangels did muster one more threat to add to their lead in the top of the seventh when Serena Rodriguez drew a one-out walk and Dickinson slapped a single through the left side to put runners at the corners, but Hirtler got Willis to flyout to right to end the threat.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian scored its four runs on seven hits while the Tigers tallied only one hit and committed a pair of errors.
• Junior pitcher Gia Reynosa put together one of the best starts of her three-year MACU career, allowing only one hit, the fewest she's ever allowed in a complete game shutout and issued only two walks while striking out a season-high seven batters, just one shy of her career-high.
• Despite MACU's bats being kept relatively in-check, the top of the order produced four of the seven hits and reached base a combined six times as Serena Rodriguez batted 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base out of the leadoff spot while Kayten Herman slashed 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a walk as well.
• Nyssa Dunn produced MACU's only other extra-base hit, finishing 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
• Heidi Noisey produced a run on a 1-for-2 day at the dish while Mia Macias' sac fly wrapped up a 0-for-1 performance for the contest.
• After entering into the designated player position, Emmerson Dickinson reached base twice, slashing 1-for-1 with a single and a walk to go along with a run as well.
• By getting the win, Mid-America Christian locked up the series victory, making it the 12^th straight time the Evangels captured the series since Central Christian joined the Sooner Athletic Conference in 2014.

GAME TWO
SCORE

• Mid-America Christian 7, Central Christian 4
  • Mid-America Christian (13-16, 11-9 SAC)
  • Central Christian (11-19, 4-16 SAC)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Emmerson Dickinson (7-7)
• Loss: Clarissa Rejino (4-10)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Serena Rodriguez – 2-4, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 SB
• Madison Schroeder – 2-3, 3 R, BB, SB
• Nyssa Dunn – 2-3, RBI, R
• Taylor Martinez – 1-3, R, BB, 2 SB
• Heidi Noisey – 1-3, R, HBP

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 2^nd – MACU – Nyssa Dunn bunt singled to c, RBI; Taylor Martinez scored – MACU 1, CCCK 0
• TOP 2^nd – MACU – Serena Rodriguez doubled to center, RBI; Nyssa Dunn scored; Madison Schroeder scored – MACU 3, CCCK 0
• TOP 4^th – MACU – Serena Rodriguez singled up the middle, RBI; Madison Schroeder scored; Kiley Flores scored on error by p – MACU 5, CCCK 0
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Kiley Flores hit a sac fly to cf, RBI; Heidi Noisey scored – MACU 6, CCCK 0
• TOP 6^th – MACU – Serena Rodriguez grounded out to 2b, RBI; Madison Schroeder scored – MACU 7, CCCK 0
• BTM 6^th – CCCK – Paige Major singled to left-center, 2 RBI; Jaci Jeffers scored; Ashley Vaccaro scored – MACU 7, CCCK 2
• BTM 7^th – CCCK – Ashley Vaccaro tripled to right, RBI; Hallie Thomas scored – MACU 7, CCCK 3
• BTM 7^th – CCCK – Jaci Jeffers singled to center, RBI; Ashley Vaccaro scored – MACU 7, CCCK 4

GAME SUMMARY

• Mid-America Christian put up an early threat in the top of the first as Serena Rodriguez reached on a fielding error by the shortstop and stole a pair of bases to eventually get to third, but the Evangels were unable to drive her in in the opening frame.
• Despite coming up empty in the first, the Evangels utilized their baserunning in the second when a Taylor Martinez leadoff single and Madison Schroeder infield single toward the hole at short put a pair on before successfully pulling off a double steal. Nyssa Dunn brought one in on a well-executed squeezed bunt single on a 3-0 count before Rodriguez drove in the other two on a deep flyball double to center to extend the advantage to 3-0.
• Central Christian's first major threat came in the bottom of the third when Hallie Thomas drew a one-out walk and was eventually moved down to third on a stolen base and Aryanna Palfy's infield single to third before she also stole second to put two in scoring position with only one out. However, MACU starting pitcher Emmerson Dickinson closed out the frame by striking out the next two batters to leave the runners stranded.
• The Evangels opened the fourth inning with a pair of singles off the bats of Heidi Noisey and Schroeder. After retiring the next two batters on a fielder's choice out at third and strikeout, Rodriguez once again struck for the Evangels as she slapped a single up the middle to score one run before taking advantage of two misplays by the Tigers on the play as the dropped ball on the tag at home on Kiley Flores after she was caught in a rundown allowed the Evangels to stretch their lead to 5-0.
• The Tigers once again put a pair in scoring position in the fifth when Abby Schleisman led off with an infield single to second and Palfy's infield single to third after back-to-back fielder's choice outs at second before she stole second with two outs. However, Dickinson once again navigated her way out of it by striking out Abigail James to keep the Tigers at bay.
• The Evangels threatened to put up a crooked inning in their half of the sixth as they loaded the bases with Noisey getting hit by a pitch before Schroeder drew a walk on a full count and Dunn reached on an infield bunt single. Flores brought one of the runs in on a sac fly to center before Rodriguez grounded out to second, making it a 7-0 MACU lead.
• Central Christian took advantage of a MACU mistake in the bottom of the sixth as Ashley Vaccaro reached on an error to start off the frame before Jaci Jeffers slapped a single to center and took second on the throw to home plate to keep Vacarro at third. While Paige Major came up with a one-out two-RBI single to left-center to score both runners, Dickinson retired the next two batters to keep it a 7-2 game.
• The Tigers tried to put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh. After issuing a leadoff walk, Dickinson induced a popout to short and strikeout to get the Tigers to their final out. Unfortunately, Vaccaro mashed an RBI triple to right and then scored on Jaci Jeffers RBI single to center before ending the contest at 7-4 on an unassisted groundout to first.

GAME NOTES

• Mid-America Christian scored its seven runs on eight hits and committed two errors while Central Christian finished with four runs on seven hits with a trio of miscues.
• For the second-straight game, Emmerson Dickinson picked up a complete game victory, allowing only four runs, three earned on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts over seven innings of work.
• It was a career-day at the dish for Serena Rodriguez as she turned in her first ever four-RBI performance after going 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of stolen bases.
• The bottom of MACU's batting order came up huge as Madison Schroeder batting out of the seven-hole finished with a 2-for-3 day with a walk and scored all three times she reached base while Nyssa Dunn in the eight-spot finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Taylor Martinez rounded out her solid weekend batting 1-for-3 with a walk, a run, and two stolen bases while Heidi Noisey finished 1-for-3 as well with a run.
• Kiley Flores batting out of the nine-spot produced both an RBI and a run.
• By getting the victory, it marked the seventh time since 2018 that the Evangels swept the Tigers in all four games of the season series and have now won 51 of the last 53 meetings since 2007.

UP NEXT

• Mid-America Christian will return home next week to host Nelson in a four-game set before the Easter weekend as the Evangels will open the slate on Thursday with a 5 p.m. doubleheader at Allen Field.