Mid-America Christian University

CHICKASHA, Okla. – The MACU Softball team saw its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Presented by Netting Pros/STADIONIC at Bill Smith Ballpark as the Evangels suffered a 3-2 defeat to Southwestern Christian in nine innings on Friday afternoon.
 
SCORE

• Southwestern Christian 3, Mid-America Christian 2
  • Mid-America Christian (22-26)
  • Southwestern Christian (29-20)

PITCHING DECISIONS

• Win: Lainey King (10-3)
• Loss: Gia Reynosa (7-7)

TOP PERFORMERS

• Serena Rodriguez – 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
• Heidi Noisey – 2-4
• Kiley Flores – 1-4, R, SB
• Taylor Martinez – 1-3, RBI
• Gia Reynosa – 9 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 6 SO

SCORING SUMMARY

• TOP 1^st – SCU – Kylee Coy singled thru left side, RBI; Hannah Keele scored – SCU 1, MACU 0
• BTM 1^st – MACU – Serena Rodriguez doubled down rf line, RBI; Kiley Flores scored – MACU 1, SCU 1
• BTM 1^st – MACU – Taylor Martinez singled down lf line, RBI; Serena Rodriguez scored – MACU 2, SCU 1
• TOP 3^rd – SCU – Danielle Burleson doubled to left-center, RBI; Ebony Garza scored – MACU 2, SCU 2
• TOP 9^th – SCU – Kamry Snapp scored on a wild pitch – SCU 3, MACU 2

GAME SUMMARY

• Southwestern Christian put the wheels in-motion right out of the gate when Hannah Keele dropped a leadoff single into left before stealing second base. After getting driven down to third on a groundout to second and Gia Reynosa struck out Trinity Norwood, Kylee Coy came up with the clutch RBI single through the left side to give the Eagles the 1-0 advantage.
• The Evangels bounced right back in their half of the first. Following Kiley Flores' one-out single to right and steal of second, Serena Rodriguez punched the game-tying RBI double right down the first base line to even it at 1-1.
• Taylor Martinez put MACU in-front moments later by dropping an RBI single perfectly down the left field line to make it a 2-1 Evangels edge.
• The Eagles once again threatened in the top of the second with Jessie Moralez hitting a leadoff single through the left side and Kylah Daniel drawing a one-out walk. However, MACU's defense came up big as Kayten Herman made a sensational throw to get the forceout at third on Jayley Ray's sac bunt attempt and then Jorjanna King speared a liner down the third base line to keep SCU off the board.
• The Evangels mustered a threat of their own in the second once again by getting back-to-back singles off the bats of Mia Macias and Madison Schroeder before Kayten Herman's flyball out to right got Macias down to third with one out. Unfortunately, the Evangels were unable to capitalize as two sharply hit groundballs in the infield prevented a run from coming across.
• SCU took advantage of a MACU miscue in the top of the third when Ebony Garza reached on an error before getting down to third on a wild pitch and groundout to third before Danielle Burleson came up with the two-out RBI double into the left-center field gap tie the game at 2-2.
• MACU had a chance to answer in its half of the third when Rodriguez lined a single to left before Martinez was hit by a pitch. While Reynosa laid down a successful sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position, SCU reliever Lainey King managed to strike out Macias to leave them stranded.
• Unlike the first three innings, the next five innings were a battle of attrition as both teams struggled to get baserunners aboard against Reynosa and SCU's Lainey King.
• In the top of the ninth, the Eagles took advantage of a pair of pivotal MACU miscues. After Jessie Moralez drew a one-out walk, her pinch-runner Kamry Snapp stole second and got down to third when Herman's throw got away to the outfield. Moments later, Snapp scored on Reynosa's wild pitch, making it a 3-2 game.
• While SCU pinch-hitter Jasmine Olivas managed to work a 10-pitch walk, Reynosa ended the frame by inducing a 6-4-3 double play.
• Herman tried to give MACU some life in the bottom of the ninth by slapping a two-out single to left, but the Eagles ended it by throwing out Dakota Watson on her groundball to short.

GAME NOTES

• Southwestern Christian scored its three runs on six hits while the Evangels scored their two runs on nine hits and committed a pair of errors.
• Serena Rodriguez and Heidi Noisey were the only players with multiple hits as Rodriguez slashed 2-for-4 with a double, and RBI, and a run scored while Noisey also finished 2-for-4.
• Taylor Martinez tallied one of MACU's two RBIs on the day with her 1-for-3 performance at the plate while Kiley Flores added the other run after going 1-for-4 with a stolen base.
• Despite suffering the loss in the circle, Gia Reynosa put together an outstanding outing, going the distance over nine innings, allowing three runs, only one earned on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
• Reynosa's nine-inning outing marked the third-most thrown by a MACU pitcher in the NAIA Era (2007-present). The last time a MACU pitcher threw nine innings came on May 3, 2024 when Rachel Eggleston set the record with her 10.1 innings tossed against Texas Wesleyan in the SAC Tournament.
• With the defeat, Mid-America Christian wraps up its season with a 22-26 overall record and finished fourth in the SAC standings by going 19-17 against league competition.

SEASON RECAP

• On the defensive side, junior first baseman Heidi Noisey broke a pair of records in the final game, as her 343 putouts ranks as the most in a single season in the NAIA Era (2007-present). The previous record was held by Sarah Lankford, who tallied 339 during the 2009 campaign.
• With the inning-ending double play in the top of the ninth, Noisey also recorded her 14^th double play of the season, drawing her even with Olivia Roberts (2022) at the top of MACU's single season list.
• Freshman shortstop Taylor Martinez wrapped up her season by recording the third-most assists in a single season with 121, making her only the third Evangel to eclipse 120 assists in a season. Martinez finished only behind Holly and Heidi Steckbauer, who ended the 2008 campaign with 130 and 128 assists respectively.
• Martinez also ended her year making it onto the triples list as her four three-baggers moved her into a seven-way tie for seventh on the single season list.
• Serena Rodriguez made it onto the single season list in a pair of offensive categories, as her seven triples matched Cailey Parsells (2022) and Mikaylee Allen (2023) for the third-most in a season while also making it on the hit-by-pitch list as her seven moved her into a three-way tie for ninth.
• Overall, it was an excellent sophomore campaign for Rodriguez, who led the team in not just triples, but also posted the most runs (22), stolen bases (12), on-base percentage (.404), slugging percentage (.536), and OPS (.940).
• Noisey led the charge for MACU as well, ending the year with the team's highest batting average (.336) and most RBIs (25).
• In the circle, Emmerson Dickinson put together a sensational freshman campaign as she ends the season as the team's leader in nearly every statistical category, including: wins (11), ERA (2.78), appearances (27), starts (18), complete games (12), innings pitched (131), and strikeouts (110), finishing only one strikeout shy of breaking into MACU's single season record book.
• Dickinson did find herself in one category on MACU's single season record book as her 5.88 strikeouts per seven innings rate marked the sixth-highest on the list.
• Junior pitcher Gia Reynosa narrowly missed breaking her own strikeout-to-walk ratio record as she caps off her season with a 5.46 K/BB ratio, making it the second-best after she notched a 5.5 last season.
• Overall, the 2026 of rebuilding and growth for a young Evangels squad under first-year head coach Eli Espinosa. It was a squad that featured no seniors and only three juniors after losing 13 players to graduation and transfers following the 2025 campaign.
• MACU still managed to pick up some massive victories over the course of the season, including a pair of NAIA Top 10 wins when it upset No. 8 Central Methodist 8-7 on Feb. 21 at the NAIASB Invitational as well as snapping No. 7 Science & Arts' 23-game win streak with a 1-0 win last week.