Softball | 4/19/2011 10:16:31 PM
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College softball team swept the visiting Bethany College Swedes in two polar opposite contests, as the Bulldogs won a 2-0 pitchers duel in game one before slugging their way to an 11 inning, 11-10, victory in game two.
The Bulldogs improve to 20-20 overall and 8-4 in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play, while Bethany falls to 21-24 overall and 9-3 in conference action.
In the opener, sophomore pitcher Kelsey Dutton (Limon, Colo.) pitched a gem of a game, throwing a complete seven innings, while allowing no runs on seven hits and striking out three. With the win, she improves to 11-6 on the season.
Senior centerfielder
Jamie Gilbert (Joplin, Mo.) provided all the necessary offense with a double into left field to open the game. She advanced to third on a
Payton Toepfer (Crescent, Okla.) sacrifice bunt, before scoring on a illegal pitch to give MC the early 1-0 advantage.
Gilbert struck again in the fifth with a solo home run. The blast is her second of the season.
As a team, McPherson registered two runs on six hits.
Both sides offense came alive in game two as Bethany opened the game with three runs in the top of the first. McPherson answered with one of their own in the bottom half to cut the deficit to two, 3-1.
Bulldog pitcher Andrea Falk (Cheyenne, Wyo.) retired the next 12 Swedes in order, as McPherson added runs in the third and fourth inning before scoring three in the fifth to take the 6-3 lead. The Bulldogs scored the three runs on five hits, including a double by Katie Logan (Clay Center, Kan.) and singles by Falk, Sadie Green (Hutchinson, Kan.) and Ashley Luthye (Northglenn, Colo.).
However, Bethany tied the score in the next inning with three of their own and neither side scored in the seventh to send the game into extra innings.
The two sides traded runs in the eighth, ninth and 10th before the Bulldogs scored a pair in the bottom of the 11th to earn the victory. Logan opened the inning with a single to left, which scored Payton Toepfer from second, who reached due to the international tiebreaker rule. Logan advanced to second on the left fielders throw to the plate to give MC the winning run on second base with no outs. After a pair of groundouts, Green came through when she lobbed a two-strike offering over the shortstops head and into left field to score Logan and end the game.
Dutton earned her second win of the night in relief, while Logan paced the MC offense with a 4-for-5 effort from the dish, including four runs scored and two RBIs.
McPherson returns to action on Saturday, April 23 when they host Ottawa University at 1:00 p.m.
