The Southwestern Christian University baseball team split a tightly contested doubleheader against Ecclesia College on Tuesday afternoon in Bethany, showcasing both resilience and missed opportunities across two games.
Game 1: SCU 4, Ecclesia 3
The Eagles opened the day with a strong performance, edging Ecclesia 4-3 behind timely hitting and solid relief pitching. SCU struck early in the first inning, as Royce Florenzano and Dario Paredes delivered back-to-back RBI doubles to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
After holding Ecclesia scoreless through four innings, the visitors rallied for three runs in the fifth to briefly take the lead. SCU responded immediately, tying the game in the bottom half before reclaiming the advantage in the sixth. Eliam Dudamel provided the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly, scoring Bryan Melo.
On the mound, Braden Tucker earned the win in relief, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings and striking out four while allowing just one hit. The Eagles' pitching staff combined for nine strikeouts and limited damage late to secure the victory.
Florenzano led the offense with two hits and an RBI, while Paredes added a key extra-base hit and run driven in.
Game 2: Ecclesia 6, SCU 5
The nightcap saw Ecclesia jump out early and hold off a late push from SCU to claim a 6-5 win.
A four-run second inning by Ecclesia proved to be the difference, capitalizing on walks and defensive miscues. Despite the early deficit, the Eagles chipped away throughout the game, scoring in four separate innings to keep things close.
SCU outhit Ecclesia 11-3 in the contest, with James Folsom leading the charge with three hits and an RBI. Braden Browning added two hits and a run driven in, while Dominic Ornelas contributed an RBI double late to bring SCU within one.
The Eagles had opportunities to complete the comeback but stranded 12 runners on base. Ecclesia's pitching staff worked around the traffic, using a combination of walks and timely outs to escape multiple jams.
Takeaways
The split highlights both the potential and inconsistency for Southwestern Christian. The Eagles showed they can generate offense and compete late into games, but defensive lapses and missed scoring chances proved costly in the second matchup.
SCU will look to build on the positives from Game 1 while tightening execution as they continue conference play.
