JOPLIN, Mo. — Texas Wesleyan University (42-9) faced Mid-America Christian University (38-13) twice on Sunday at Joe Becker Stadium, unfortunately falling in both contests with final scores of 16–6 and 22–4.
In the first game, despite collecting 13 hits and a home run, the Rams could not overcome Mid-America Christian's offensive surge, which included three home runs. Texas Wesleyan took an early lead in the first inning as
Brendon Vela doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by
Jorge Herrera. Mid-America Christian did not score in the bottom half, leaving the score 1–0 for Texas Wesleyan after the first inning.
In the second inning,
Jonathan Pena scored after singling and advancing on an error, with
Idelfonso Garcia contributing an RBI. Mid-America Christian responded with a solo home run by Frankie Giacalone, closing the gap to 2–1 through two innings. The fourth inning saw Texas Wesleyan extend its lead with a two-run homer by
Marcos Carrion, followed by an RBI single from Herrera. However, Mid-America Christian answered back, scoring five runs on a mix of hits and errors, taking a 6–5 lead by the end of the inning.
Mid-America Christian added another run in the fifth inning as Cole Krepcik scored on a wild pitch, bringing the score to 7–5 in their favor after five innings. The sixth inning saw Mid-America Christian increase its lead further with an RBI double by Adam Hanan, extending the score to 8–5. In the seventh inning, Mid-America Christian's offense erupted for five runs, highlighted by a three-run homer from Nick Hill, making it 13–5. Texas Wesleyan managed to score in the eighth inning with
Idelfonso Garcia crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly by
Jose Rangel, but Mid-America Christian countered with a two-run homer from Giacalone and an RBI single by Jesse Ortega, sealing a 16–6 victory.
Jose Casado started the game for the Rams, pitching 3 innings and allowing 6 runs on 6 hits, with 4 earned runs, 2 walks, and 1 home run. He recorded 4 strikeouts and threw 45 pitches, 29 of which were strikes.
Dylan Krause followed with 3 2/3 innings, giving up 7 runs on 6 hits, walking 6 batters, and striking out 1, while throwing 67 pitches, 31 for strikes, and allowing a home run.
Gabriel Supelveda pitched briefly, completing 1/3 of an inning, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, including 1 home run, with 1 strikeout over 14 pitches.
Vela scored two runs and added a double in his performance. Herrera collected two hits and drove in two runs. Carrion tallied two RBIs with a home run, showcasing his power at the plate. Pena recorded two hits and crossed home plate once, contributing to the team's offensive efforts.
In the second game, despite the loss, the Rams managed to hit two home runs and recorded 12 hits. Mid-America Christian took control early, scoring three runs in the second inning highlighted by Tuane Cope's RBI single and Jahzeel Groetelaers' two-run homer, leading 3-0 after two innings. They expanded their lead with four more runs in the third inning, including Cole Krepcik's two-RBI single and Groetelaers' RBI double, pushing the score to 7-0.
The fourth inning saw Mid-America Christian add five more runs, with notable contributions from Krepcik's two-RBI single and an RBI single by Groetelaers, pushing the score to 12-0. Texas Wesleyan responded in the fifth inning;
Dryon Dixon singled, and
Logan Silvertooth doubled, setting up Conner DeLeon for a three-run homer, bringing the score to 16-3.
In the sixth inning,
Idelfonso Garcia hit a solo home run, but Mid-America Christian maintained their momentum, adding three additional runs, including a two-run homer by Frankie Giacalone, bringing the score to 19-4. Mid-America Christian scored three more runs in the seventh inning, highlighted by Nick Hill's solo homer and Giacalone's RBI single, leading to a final score of 22-4.
Ty Sansom pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and seven earned runs while striking out three batters.
Luka Zakman entered in relief, pitching 1 1/3 innings with one walk and three earned runs on six hits. Rey Rivera, Jr. was on the mound for 1/3 of an inning, conceding four runs on five hits, including one home run.
Gabriel Supelveda closed out the pitching with 2 2/3 innings, striking out five but allowing six earned runs on six hits and two home runs.
Garcia recorded three hits and hit a home run, marking a strong performance at the plate. DeLeon contributed significantly with a home run and three RBIs. Silvertooth added value with a double and a run scored.
Jack Erickson also made an impact with two hits, including a double, and reached base via a hit by pitch.
