USAO’s baseball team (11-7, 1-2 SAC) made the short trip to Mid-America Christian University (MACU) (11-6, 2-1 SAC) this week to face the Evangels in their first conference matchup of the season. After losing their first game of the series Friday, Mar. 1 with a final score of 4-3, the Drovers had a chance to win the series Saturday Mar. 2 in their double-header.
Game 2:
In the first match, USAO held a lead early after a bad throw to third base from MACU allowed senior outfielder Gabriel Arroyo to steal third and score. This run gave the Drovers the lead with a 1-0 score after the first inning.
The second inning saw both defenses stand tall as neither allowed any runs for the inning.
In the third, the Drovers hit a lull, as USAO only recorded one hit. Sophomore pitcher Brian Ereu had a good start as MACU did not earn a single hit through two innings. However, this changed by the bottom of the third as the Evangels got two hits and scored a run. This score tied the game 1-1.
USAO came back to life in the fourth inning. Junior infielder Gage Ninness hit a double to center field, igniting a flame for his teammates to bring him home. Arroyo seized the opportunity, as he hit a single to right field. Both Ninness and Arroyo turned on the jets, as Ninness made it across home plate, and Arroyo made it to second from that hit. A single to left field from sophomore infielder Chris Martinez allowed Arroyo to leave MACU in the dust as he scored another run for USAO. These efforts put the Drovers back on top 3-1 after four innings of action.
The fifth inning saw the Drovers trying to make plays on the offense, but this was to no avail. Ereu was relieved by junior pitcher Ryan Cullinane. This pitching change started well for USAO, as Cullinane struck out two Evangels.
The top of the sixth inning looked promising for USAO as junior infielder Devin Alvarez got a double to start the inning. The next play was a single from Ninness, which was enough for Alvarez to sprint home. The Drover defense had a crucial moment as well, earning a double play from second and first base. The end of the sixth inning saw USAO in the lead 4-1.
Despite their success all game, USAO struggled heavily in the seventh inning. The Drover offense only had one hit in the inning and needed their defense to make one last stop to win the game. Senior pitcher Alden Norquist relieved Cullinane in this inning. This change did not see any success, as MACU came to life when it mattered most. The Evangels batting department saw five hits, two walks, and four runs which gave them the lead and their second victory of the series 5-4.
Game 3:
The second game of the day started with MACU on the board early. A walk allowed a MACU junior utility player Anthony Hampton to reach first and a wild pitch from junior pitcher Sam Replogle saw Hampton make it to third. A balk at home allowed the Evangels to score, giving them the lead of 1-0 going into the second inning.
The game saw no scores for the next three innings, with both teams having a combined six hits. USAO saw Replogle record two strikeouts in contribution to the defensive stalemate at hand.
The bottom of the fifth is when the scoreboard came back to life. Unfortunately, this was not in USAO’s favor as MACU recorded a single to right center field. After this play, senior pitcher Hagen Earls came in to play for Replogle. Two batters later, and the Evangels hit a triple to right center field, which led to another score for them. At the end of the fifth inning, MACU was on top 2-0.
The Drovers finally awakened at the top of the sixth. Junior infielder Ben Bach started the hitting spree with a double. Junior infielder Ian Ortiz brought Bach back home with an RBI single. Ortiz was able to advance to second off an error from MACU’s centerfielder. Following this, a double into left field from junior infielder Ben Lawson allowed Ortiz to score. After scoring two runs, a double play from the Evangels ended the offensive output from USAO. The score going into the seventh and final inning was 2-2.
The final inning started for USAO with a double from Arroyo. One play after a fielder’s choice allowed junior catcher Gavin Machado to reach first. With teammates on base, senior infielder Peyton McDowall connected with the ball and on a sacrifice fly Arroyo was able to score. In the bottom of the inning, junior pitcher Rob Schmidt took over for Earls and stood at the mound for USAO. Schmidt finished the game strong, closing the game for the Drovers allowing zero hits. The Drovers ended the game on top 3-2, ending the three-game series at 1-2 against MACU.
The next matchup for USAO will be Tuesday, Mar. 5, in Wichita, KS, against Friends University. USAO will spend most of the month on the road, with their next home game being against Southwestern Christian University Friday, Mar. 29 at 2 p.m.
Matthew Yokum is a second-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
