April 8, 2023
Oklahoma City, OK – On Saturday evening at the Jim Wade Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the No. 24 Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) Lions baseball team faced the Oklahoma City University (OCU) Stars in a Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) series-closing doubleheader.
Game 1:
In the opening match of the doubleheader on the day, the Lions were defeated 4-6 by the Stars.
The SAGU Lions' offense struggled to maintain its good hitting for the rest of the game after a tremendous first inning in which they tallied four runs.
JV Verdin and Alejandro Garcia both had impressive RBIs off of excellent singles.
Michael Watson, a standout left-handed pitcher for SAGU, suffered his first loss this season while pitching for the Lions, bringing his record to 8-1 overall. Throughout his five innings of pitching, the fastball slinger was able to strike out seven OCU batters.
PITCHING
Batters faced: Michael Watson (23), Hayden Mullins (6)
HBP: Michael Watson (3)
Pitches-Strikes: Michael Watson (99-62), Hayden Mullins (21-12)
Game 2:
OCU defeated the Lions 8-10 in the series' final game to complete the sweep of the SAGU Lions in the SAC series.
In the decisive game, the Lions' batting and scoring were explosive, as Avery Chatman, Andrew Ortiz (2), Eli Lyons, Bryson Collins (2), and Cade Hendricks contributed RBIs.
When they stole bases from the unsuspecting OCU defense, Avery Chatman, Matt Daiy, Armando Hernandez, and Bryson Collins displayed excellent base running abilities.
Jadon Harper and Reagan Smith combined for four strikeouts while working on the mound for SAGU.
PITCHING
Batters faced: Reagan Smith (13), Jadon Harper (9), Cade Hendricks (7), Trevor Proefrock (5)
Pitches-Strikes: Reagan Smith (41-28), Jadon Harper (39-21), Cade Hendricks (14-5)
Cornacchione's Corner
"Ending a series without a victory is difficult, but our guys competed. There are some good lessons to remember and improvements to make," said SAGU head baseball coach Matt Cornachione.
The Next Step
On Tuesday, April 11th, Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) will face Wiley College.
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.
