Mid-Atlantic Christian opened its southern road trip with a double-header of wins on day one, then dropped a pair the following day.

MACU used shut-down pitching and defense to blank host Toccoa Falls 3-0 in the opener. In the day’s second game against Defiance College, the Mustangs posted 12 runs in a pair of big innings while the Yellow Jackets scattered single runs across three innings. After Defiance plated a two-out single in the second, MACU answered with a three-run homer and a pair of two-run doubles before Defiance recorded the first out of the inning. The Jackets got a run back in the fifth with a solo homer but a five-run fifth by the Mustangs were fueled by three singles, two sac flies and an error.

Facing Defiance again with a noon start at Toccoa Falls, Georgia on Saturday, the Yellow Jackets came from behind twice to squelch the Mustangs. The Jackets, who were playing as the home team in the neutral-site affair, loaded the bases in the last of the seventh on a single and two hit-by-pitch to set the stage for a walk-off walk and a 4-3 win.

In the last game of the weekend, MACU and TFC were tied 2-2 after one, but the home-standing Eagles then pushed across two runs in each of the second and third innings and added four more in the fifth to put away the Mustangs 10-2.

MACU next travels to Milton, Florida for a 3-game NSAC series against Lighthouse Christian beginning on Monday, March 10, followed by another series at John Melvin Christian.

Thanks to defianceathletics.com for help with this story; Photo by ksama on Unsplash

HAMPTON, Va. – Apprentice opened up a four-game series with Penn State Mont Alto Saturday with a doubleheader sweep, falling in the opener before walking off the day’s finale.

In the first game of the day, Mont Alto jumped out to a 6-0 lead through the top half of the fourth inning before the Builders finally scratched a run across on a Matt Phoebus RBI double. Trailing 7-1 headed to the bottom of the seventh, Apprentice found two more runs off a Hunter Johnson sacrifice fly and a Riggs Ellis RBI groundout, but the Lions got out of the inning to win their season opener.

In the nightcap, the Lions scored a run in the first, but Apprentice (7-2 overall, 2-0 NSAC) answered much quicker, tying the game in the first before taking the lead in the second. The Builders scored a pair off a PSU error in the frame and then followed those up by a Nolan Edwards RBI single in the third and another Johnson sacrifice fly in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead.

Mont Alto (1-1) responded with three in the fifth and five in the sixth to retake the lead at 9-5, but the Builders got two back in the bottom of the sixth off a Riggs Ellis bases-loaded RBI single. Apprentice shut the door in the seventh before plating three in the bottom half, winning the game on a bases loaded walk to finish the day with a split.

The Builders and Lions will finish the four-game set tomorrow with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; Image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson/Apprentice Athletics