Softball | 3/25/2011 10:48:56 AM
Tucson, Ariz. – The McPherson College softball team split its final two games on day three at the Tucson Invitational Tournament. The Bulldogs opened the day with a 9-3 win over Calvin College (Mich.), before dropping game two to Hastings College, 6-5.
The results improve the Bulldogs to 12-16 overall entering the start of conference action on Wednesday, March 30. McPherson opens KCAC play with a doubleheader against the University of Saint Mary. Game one is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. CT.
McPherson lit the scoreboard first with a run in the top of the first inning, but Calvin answered with a pair in the bottom of the second. The Bulldogs added two in the third and three in the fifth en route to the 9-3 game one victory.
The Bulldog offense had its best game of the tournament with 13 hits, including a pair of doubles by sophomore Kelsey Dutton (Limon, Colo.). Dutton ended the contest 3-for-4 from the plate with three runs scored, two RBI and three stolen bases. Senior centerfield Jamie Gilbert (Joplin, Mo.) joined Dutton with three-hits, while scoring twice.
Along with her offense, Dutton picked up her sixth win of the season. She scattered six hits over seven innings, while striking out a season-high eight.
In game two, McPherson’s fourth meeting with Hastings College, the Broncos opened with two runs in the second to take the 2-0 lead. However, the Bulldogs knotted the score in the top of the third with a pair of their own (2-2). With the game tied 3-3 entering the fifth, McPherson took its first lead of the game with two runs in the top half, 5-3. However, Hastings answered back with three-runs in their next at-bat to earn the 6-5 win.
Junior pitcher Andrea Falk (Cheyenne, Wyo.) fell to 2-6 overall on the season in the loss. Freshman Morgan Zenefski (Cheyenne, Wyo.) and Amanda Baxter (Pueblo, Colo.) each recorded two hits and two RBIs in the effort.
