Baseball Kicks off 2024 Season at SAGU

WAXAHACHIE, Texas – The Avila baseball team kicked off the 2024 season in the same place that they began the 2023 season, in Waxahachie, Texas against Southwestern Assemblies of God University over the weekend, where the Lions (4-0) prevailed in all four games, sending the Eagles (0-4) back to Kansas City empty in their first series of the season.

Avila against SAGU has been a very common series at the start of the season over the last couple of years. The Eagles made the long trip to Texas to try to avoid some of the cold weather from the Midwest, but unfortunately they ran into some rain, which altered the course of the series a fair bit. The teams still played four 7-inning contests, the first two of which came on Saturday night at Waxahachie High School and the last two of which were played Sunday afternoon on the SAGU campus.

In the first series of his second season as head coach of the program he's been part of for more than a decade, Matt Carpenter and his staff had to work a ton of new players – there are close to three dozen on the roster in total – into both the lineup and the rotation against the Lions. And though the Eagles would ultimately fall in all four games, nearly all of them were a fair bit closer that some of the final scores would indicate.

After two postponements, the two teams finally got the series started on Sunday evening. Robby Cable drove in Paxton Andrade for the Eagles' first run of the season, tying the game at one apiece in the second inning. Walks provided plenty of problems for both teams' starting pitchers, but though reliever Alex Walton was able to help get the Eagles through a trouble spot in the second inning, the Lions made good on their second big chance thanks to a two-run single from leadoff hitter Avery Chatman to make the score 3-1 after three.

SAGU then took a stranglehold on game one thanks to a bases-clearing double from Nick Mosley in the fifth. Avila punched right back with RBI base hits from Bryce Culp and Ricky Dober in the sixth inning but the Lions pushed one more across in the home half to wrap up a 7-3 victory in the series opener.

With the lights turned on on Saturday night in Waxahachie, both teams pushed across runs in the first inning before three Eagles errors helped SAGU score two unearned runs off new Avila starter Cashen Schranz in the second inning. Freshman Julio Perez helped get the Eagles through the fifth inning and Ronnie Nowak drew a bases-loaded walk in his first series as an Eagle, but SAGU scored at least once in five of the six innings to earn an 8-2 victory.

Back on the SAGU campus for game three of the series on Sunday afternoon, the Eagles dug themselves into a hole early, trailing 8-1 after five frames without the benefit of a hit. Armando Arguello and Ryan Wingerd combined to keep the Lions at bay late but the SAGU bullpen struggled, and the Eagle offense absolutely erupted at the last possible moment to give the visitors a chance.

With one out, Robby Cable, Landon Vahle and Bryce Culp all drew walks, forcing SAGU into the bullpen. Ricky Dober stepped up and placed a single into right field – Avila's first hit of the game – driving in two runs. The Eagles were not done. With two outs, Tyler King drew yet another walk forcing yet another pitching change. Freshman Rusten Traxler was hit by a pitch to drive in a run in his first career start, and fellow newcomer Zach Dillman drilled a double to the right-center wall, clearing the bases and bringing Avila within a run. But with the tying run on second base, the Lions finally recorded the final out, barely hanging on the defeat the Eagles 8-7 in game three.

If game three had the offense, game four certainly had the pitching. New two-way staple Gio Armas, who appeared behind the plate earlier in the weekend, made his first start as an Eagle on Sunday afternoon and threw a gem, allowing two earned runs on four hits over five innings in his debut. Jack Dotterer followed with a scoreless sixth to keep SAGU at bay.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, those two runs were the difference. Zeke Holder drove in both runs for the Lions with a single in the second inning and a solo home run in the fifth, and Avila could not punch back against Hayden Mullins and Justin De Los Santos, who combined for seven shutout innings in a 2-0 win for SAGU to secure the series sweep.

Offensively, Dober led the way for the Eagles with a .400 average (6-for-15) and four RBI in the four-game set. Culp recorded only one hit, but still recorded an insane .688 on-base percentage thanks to five walks and five of his patented hits by pitch. Seven of the 25 runs the Eagles allowed were unearned.

Up next, Avila will return home to Kansas City for their first home series of the 2024 campaign. The Dordt Defenders will make the trip south from Iowa to The Z for a four-game set, which is scheduled to be played on Friday, February 2 and Saturday, February 3. Action will begin at noon on both days, weather permitting; you can watch all the action in every Avila home game this season on the Avila Sports Network.