Softball | 4/2/2011 5:00:16 PM
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – McPherson College sophomore pitcher Kelsey Dutton (Limon, Colo.) pitched a complete game with six strikeouts, as the Bulldog softball team split its Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Southwestern Saturday afternoon at Wall Park. MC fell in game one 11-1 before bouncing back in game two with a 6-2 victory.
With the results, McPherson goes to 14-18 on the year and 2-2 in league play, while the Moundbuilders are 6-12 overall and 1-1 in KCAC action.
Southwestern took control early in game one, as a pair of Bulldog errors led to a four-run first inning. The Builders added another four in the third and three in the fourth to take an 11-0 advantage into the fifth inning. McPherson’s lone run of the game came on senior catcher Ashley Toepfer's (Crescent, Okla.) home run to right field, 11-1.
Dutton ended the contest with two of MC’s four hits. Junior right-handed pitcher Andrea Falk (Cheyenne, Wyo.) took the loss.
The Bulldogs fell behind early in game two when a Southwestern’s Desiree Shipp ripped a double into right field that scored Devan Howard from second. Howard reached base two batters earlier on a single to open the game. However, Dutton retired 14 straight following the double.
McPherson lit the scoreboard with a four-run fourth to take the 4-1 lead. Junior first baseman Katie Logan (Clay Center, Kan.) opened the inning with a one out single before advancing to second on a Falk walk. Logan scored on the next pitch as Dutton helped herself with a single through the right side. Freshman Ariel McGee (Denver, Colo.), who was running for Falk, scored two hitters later on freshman Morgan Zenefski's (Cheyenne, Wyo.) single. Zenefski, who advanced to second on the throw, rounded out the Bulldog runs by scoring on a Ashley Toepfer double.
McPherson added two more in the bottom of the fifth on Falk’s team-leading sixth home run on the season to make it a 6-1 lead.
The Moundbuilders plated one run in the top of the sixth before Dutton shut the door by retiring five of the last seven batters.
With the victory, Dutton improves to 8-4 on the season. She pitched a complete game (seven innings), giving up two earned runs, while striking out six and walking none. In addition to her pitching performance, Dutton was 2-for-3 from the plate, including a run scored and RBI.
McPherson returns to action on Tuesday, April 5 when they travel to Sterling College. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m.
