PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Christian University baseball team rallied from three runs down in the final inning of game one to win, spurring the offense in game two to a doubleheader sweep of the #19 Mid-America Christian Evangels, 5-4 and 13-5, to open the 2026 season Thursday at Billy Allgood Field.
 
Game One – Louisiana Christian 5, Mid-America Christian 4
 
Louisiana Christian (2-0) was able to work out of some early trouble in the first couple innings before striking first in game one. Harrison Waxley led off the inning with a double, was sacrificed over to third by Matthew Cody, and came home on Chris Kelley's RBI single to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
 
But the pressure #19 MACU (0-2) put on finally resulted in runs, starting in the third inning inning as a RBI single tied the score. In the fourth inning, the Evangels took the lead on a lead-off, solo home run, then extended it later in the frame on a RBI double, making it 3-1 MACU.
 
The Evangels got an insurance run in the fifth inning as another RBI double made it 4-1 MACU.
 
Down to their last three outs in the season opener, the offense came alive for the Wildcats in the seventh inning. Braden Trull started things off by drawing a walk. Now with one out, Matthew Cody and Kelley hit back-to-back doubles to bring in pinch-runner Zephaniah Singleton and get a run back.
 
Gavin Vordick walked to load the bases with still one away. Down to LCU's last strike in the contest, Jake Messina came through in a big way, dropping a base hit into left field which scored both Vordick and pinch-runner Luke Morgan to tie the score.
 
With the MACU bullpen now rattled, both Braden McLin and Sterling Sims drew walks to reload the bases and then force in the walk-off run to give the Wildcats the win.
 
Messina was the only Wildcat with multiple hits in the first game of the doubleheader, going two-for-two with the two RBI he got in the seventh inning while also drawing a walk.
 
Kelley went one-for-three and knocked in a pair of runs.
 
Caleb Brown (1-0) got the win on the mound for LCU as he pitched the seventh inning, allowing just one hit and no runs.
 
Brandon Carter got the start and went 3.2 innings, allowing six hits with two runs, both earned, a walk and struck out six.
 
Seth Whitney and Colton Williams both provided middle relief with Williams throwing two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
 
Game Two – Louisiana Christian 13, Mid-America Christian 5
 
After finding its footing in the final inning of game one, the Wildcat offense was on point, taking advantage of several MACU mistakes, to open a big lead in game two.
 
After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning, Sims started the bottom half with a ground ball to the shortstop, however the throw pulled the first baseman off the bag and he was ruled safe. LCU took advantage of that as Brady Huffman drew a walk and Trull smashed the first Wildcat home run of the season over the center field wall to give LCU a 3-1 lead.
 
With Waxley on first following a base hit and two outs, Kelley delivered his first dinger of the year, a two-run shot to left-center to give the Wildcats a 5-1 lead after one.
 
More errors helped LCU extend the lead in the second inning. A pair of errors helped Trull get to third base, giving the Wildcats runners on the corners for Cody, who slammed his first home run of the year over the left field fence to make it 8-1 Wildcats.
 
MACU pulled one back in the top half of the third inning, but Louisiana Christian got it back as Huffman hit a RBI single to score the pinch runner Morgan from second base to give LCU a 9-2 advantage after three.
 
In the fourth, another Evangel error allowed Cody to reach. He would eventually come home on Brown's RBI single to left-center, making it 10-2 LCU.
 
MACU responded with three runs in the fifth to cut the LCU edge to 10-5. However, any hope of an Evangel comeback was snuffed out in the sixth as the Wildcats got all three of those runs back.
 
Kelley opened the sixth with a solo shot to dead center, his second homer of the game. With two outs and the bases loaded, Waxley dropped a base hit into left field, scoring both Huffman and Logan Lobell for the game's final runs.
 
Waxley and Kelley both had three hits with Waxley going three-for-five with two RBI and two runs scored. Kelley went three-for-four with three RBI and two runs scored, both of those coming off his first two home runs of 2026.
 
Huffman, Trull, and Cody all had two hits each. Huffman went two-for-four with a walk, a RBI, and scored twice. Trull was two-for-four, drove in three runs, and scored twice. Cody was two-for-five with three RBI and two runs scored.
 
Alan Mason (1-0) picked up the win as the most efficient reliever, going 2.1 scoreless innings to close out the contest while giving up just two hits, walking two, and striking out two as well.
 
McLin got the start and also went 2.1 innings, giving up three hits and two runs, both earned, with five strikeouts and no walks.
 
Owen Simoneaux went two-thirds of an inning and allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out one while not allowing any runs to score.
 
Thomas Collins threw 1.2 innings, allowing a hit, three runs, all of which were earned, walked three, and struck out four.
 
The Wildcats return to action on Friday, wrapping up the weekend with another doubleheader, this time taking on the Wildcats of Wiley. First pitch of game one Friday against Wiley (0-2) is set for 11 a.m. at Billy Allgood Field.