Fullerton, Calif. - Arizona Christian surged to within one run, but was unable to deny #11 Hope International Saturday's game (8-4) and ultimately the series. The Firestorm offense, which was dormant for the majority of the weekend, remained so as it did not yield a run until the eighth inning. HIU's Ryan Maciel put a serious dent in ACU's hopes, unleashing a three-run home run in the eighth and creating a four-run hole with only a last gasp remaining.

Five ACU players got into the hit column but the absence of an extra-base hit (second instance this season) made a comeback unlikely at best. 

Sean Garcia ignited the Firestorm's four-run eighth with one of four singles. The hitting barrage was a welcome sight, as Jared Anderson's second-inning single was the only offensive production to speak of until that point.

Kane Kiaunis and Marques Titialii each batted in a run in Saturday's loss, bringing their RBI totals to 23 apiece this season.

Adrian Santa Cruz was handed his second loss in 2024, handling 5.0 innings while surrendering two runs and four hits.

The series loss moves ACU (7-5 GSAC) into third in the GSAC standings, trailing co-leaders HIU and Jessup who are each 6-3 in conference play.

GAME INFO

Score: RV Arizona Christian 4 | #11 Hope International 8
Records: RV ACU 14-10 (7-5 GSAC) | #11 HIU 13-9 (6-3 GSAC)
Location: Duane Winters Field - Fullerton, CA

STAT TRACKER

Andrew Ivy - 1 hit, 1 RBI
Matthew Beckworth - 1 hit, 1 RBI, 1 run
Sean Garcia - 1 hit, 1 run
Kane Kiaunis - 1 hit, 1 run
Jaylen Edmonds - 1 RBI
Marques Titialii - 1 RBI
Jared Anderson -  1 hit
Adrian Santa Cruz - 5.0 IP, 2 RA, 6 K

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

The first inning saw both teams retire in order, Santa Cruz striking out two Royals' batters. Anderson laid a single out in right field but would be caught stealing second base to end the Firestorm's second opportunity at the plate. Santa Cruz escaped a potentially disastrous second inning, stranding two walked batters thanks to the following sequence: fly out, thrown out at home, strikeout. 

Arizona Christian went "three up, three down" in their next at-bat but kept the game scoreless through three complete frames, as Santa Cruz rang up two Royals and stranded Alex Moreno on second base.

The game's first blood would be shed in the fourth by HIU, the Firestorm unable to get on base for the second consecutive inning. Branden Chun-Ming flew out to right field and brought the one run (Dean Toigo) with the bases juiced.

ACU's third straight inning of lineup retirement meant the Royals' 1-0 lead would carry into the bottom half of the fifth. Santa Cruz's fourth allowed hit was a big one, shortstop David Rivera registering a lead-off home run and pushing HIU's lead to 2-0. 

Two base runners were gifted to the Firestorm in the sixth (reach by error, walk) but an Edmond's groundout slammed the door shut once again. Sean Wiese only needed eight pitches to get through his allotted inning of relief. For the fifth inning, however, ACU was limited to three plate appearances.

Three more runs would be added to HIU's total in the seventh, as Eastyn Culp replaced a short-lived Christian Lucero (got one out) and inherited three base runners. One hit by pitch and a two-RBI fielder's choice (Alec Arnone) dealt the damage to the scoreboard and the deficit.

It was as if the bats woke up in the eighth, the first five Firestorm reaching base and two runs coming home. Edmonds and Titialii would send in another two runners (Ryan Eastham and Matthew Beckworth). The tying run (Andrew Ivy) was positioned at third but Anderson grounded out.

Maciel put ACU's comeback aspirations to bed with a three-run blast in the eighth.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH JOE MCDONALD

"Tough loss today against a very good opponent," Coach McDonald said. "I like the way that we fought back and gave ourselves a chance late in the game. We will get back to work and continue pushing forward to get better this week."

NEXT FOR THE FIRESTORM

The Arizona Christian Firestorm head from one GSAC series to another, as they travel to Rocklin, California and match up with Jessup (20-4, 6-3 GSAC). Game 1 of a three-game series is slated for Friday, March 15th at 6:00 PM. ACU won their home series against the Warriors 2-1 (February 16-17). Don't miss a single play with live stats at https://jessupathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary and watch the broadcast at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian/.  
    
                          
Roll Storm!