April 2, 2023
Waxahachie, TX – On Sunday evening at Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) in Waxahachie, Texas, the Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) Lions baseball team faced the Wayland Baptist University (WBU) Pioneers in a Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) series final.
Game 3:
The Pioneers were able to jump out to an early 5-0 lead before Bryson Collins hit a single into left field in the bottom of the third inning, bringing home Matt Daiy for the first run for SAGU.
In terms of scoring, SAGU's most fruitful inning came in the bottom of the sixth. The Lions took advantage of a couple wayward pitches and excellent RBIs from Andrew Ortiz and Angel Pinter.
JV Verdin, Bryson Collins, and Craig Venable all added RBIs.
The Lions were paced by Reagan Smith and Ryan Avalos, who each struck out two Wayland hitters.
PITCHING
Batters faced: Reagan Smith (12) , Armando Hernandez (7) , Kaden Kneip (6) , R. Avalos (11) , Cade Hendricks (3) , Grant McManus (4)
HBP: Kaden Kneip
Pitches-Strikes: Reagan Smith (48-35), Armando Hernandez (30-15), Kaden Kneip (23-13), R. Avalos (36-21), Cade Hendricks (5-3), Grant McManus (8-4)
In the end, the Lions were unable to regain the advantage after tying the game. Wayland would avert the series sweep thanks to three late scores.
Cornacchione's Corner
"In this matchup with Wayland, a lot was learned. We will apply these lessons and keep improving, but I am happy with the direction that this team is going and I appreciate the players working really hard," said SAGU head baseball coach Matt Cornachione.
The Next Step
On Tuesday, April 4th, Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) will face Louisiana State University Shreveport.
As a leading Christian university, SAGU educates and prepares individuals who want to serve Christ and others. SAGU helps students discover and develop their God-given callings in a Spirit-empowered, learning community. We believe in affordable tuition, made possible in part through the financial support of donors who embrace the mission of SAGU and the importance of affordable, accredited programs to train Christians for leadership in ministry, business, education, and service. Most majors are available in-person in Waxahachie, TX, and online through a wide range of associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.
