Baseball | 3/30/2013 10:19:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – The Bulldog baseball squad got their first ever KCAC series win in the history of the three-year program this weekend after they took down the University of Saint Mary three out of the four games; Mac won their two at home 4-1 and 5-4 on Thursday and then following a 9-2 game one loss, came out on top 10-1 in the second contest on Saturday. The ‘Dogs are now 8-21 for the season and 3-9 in the conference.
Game 1 – vs. University of Saint Mary – W 4-1
In the opening game of the series, two scoreless innings were followed by a one-run top of the third for the Spires and two-run bottom half of the inning for MC.
Taylor Werts (Mansfield, Texas) scored on a sacrifice fly by
Josh Grant (Paris, Texas) for the Bulldogs’ initial run and then
Brendan Miller (Taber, Alberta, Canada) was sent home after a
Bennett Ratzloff (Shawnee, Kan.) single to left-center.
Both teams went scoreless in the fourth and fifth but McPherson was able to increase their lead by two after Miller brought in
Jose Nossa (Valencia, Venezuela) and Werts on a single through the middle. An eventful top of the seventh ended in a double play that gave Mac the 4-1 victory.
10 hits were logged by the ‘Dogs in the first competition. Miller led the way by going 3-of-4 from the plate; Werts was next on the team with two knocks of the ball and also made it safely twice via walks. Five other players got on throughout the game.
Saint Mary was only able to connect with the ball three times in their loss; they did get aboard four other times with walks.
Scott Hughes (Albuquerque, N.M.) got the win for MC from the mound; he threw for six and two thirds innings, surrendering only three hits and the one earned run while striking out four of the 24 batters faced. Werts came in relief to pick up the save; he took on two players in his time at the plate.
Game 2 – vs. University of Saint Mary – W 5-4
The Spires got up to a quick 1-0 lead after the first but Mac tied things up with a score of their own as Grant singled in Miller. USM put another on the board in the top of the fourth and maintained their one-run lead until Miller sent Nossa across the plate;
Andrew Pina (Wichita, Kan.) hit around
Zach Wilson (Miliken, Colo.) to give McPherson a 3-1 advantage after five.
In the top of the sixth, Saint Mary leap-frogged the Bulldogs with two runs to go up 4-3. MC went three and out in the bottom of the inning, forcing them to score in the seventh if they wanted to extend the game. Miller grabbed another RBI after he again brought in Nossa to tie things up and force extra innings.
Neither team was able to score in the eighth forcing a ninth inning. In the top half of the inning, the Spires got a runner on base but couldn’t push him around giving the ‘Dogs a chance to close out the contest. Miller once again rose to the occasion and gave Nossa his third run of the game and Mac a 5-4 triumph.
The Bulldogs bested their number of hits from the first game in the second of the doubleheader with 11. Miller led the charge with four and also had a team-high three RBI. Nossa made it on three times, twice with hits tying him with
Keegan Bednasek (Topeka, Kan.) for second on the squad. Three other athletes tallied a hit in the win.
USM tripled their hit total from game one and were led by the Spires who each had two. Three others logged one hit in the defeat.
Nolan Huelsmann (Goddard, Kan.) started at the mound for Mac and threw for five innings, allowing two earned runs and five hits while striking out two. Werts finished off the game and grabbed the W with his four innings pitched.
Game 3 – at University of Saint Mary – L 9-2
The one loss out of the series for McPherson was a one-sided victory for the USM Spires as they took it to MC with their 9-2 win. Saint Mary started their scoring in the third and didn’t stop until it was over; the Spires put up one in the third followed by four in the fourth, two in the fifth and another two in the sixth.
For the Bulldogs, Wilson sent Nossa home while Werts belted in Wilson, one run each in the sixth and seventh innings. Miller tied Wilson with total times on base with two; Miller got his though walks while Wilson totaled two hits. Only five whacks of the ball were tallied in the loss for the ‘Dogs.
USM outhit Mac by six as they totaled 11 in the lopsided victory; four Spires logged two hits while three other ended the contest with one. Travis Quick was the team leader in RBI with three.
Jalen Davenport (Miliken, Colo.) was the first ‘Dog on the pitching mound and went three and a third before
Colter Streck (Woodland Park, Colo.) came in for relief in the fourth; Davenport surrendered seven hits and five runs, four earned, in his time out. Streck threw for one and two thirds innings, picking up two hits allowed along with two runs.
Dominic Cardenas (Henderson, Colo.) finished out the contest for MC and gave up two earned runs.
Game 4 – at University of Saint Mary – W 10-1
In the most convincing win of the series, it was all McPherson as a six-run second inning put the game to bed early. Mac tacked on two more runs in both the fourth and sixth innings to gain some insurance but as USM was only able to cross the plate once in the bottom of the seventh, the extra run total for the Bulldogs was just icing on the cake.
Eight hits were recorded by both of the teams but MC took better advantage of theirs. Nossa, Pina and
Victor Betancourt (Margarita Island, Venezuela) each logged two and Nossa made it aboard two other times via walks. Wilson and Grant each had one hit in the win. Grant, Nossa and Wilson were team leaders in RBI with two while Miller, Pina, Bednasek and
Ty Baker (Peyton, Colo.) each had one.
Joe Haak was USM’s leader in hits with three; five other Spires totaled one. Dominic Fernando logged his team’s lone Run Batted In with a sacrifice fly.
Tyler Watie (Ulysses, Kan.) started things off throwing for McPherson and went four innings, allowing five hits while striking out three.
Brant Rhoades (Burlington, Colo) came in relief in the fifth and gave up the sole run as he finished out the game for MC.
A home contest against Avila University of Kansas City is next on the docket for Bulldog baseball; that nine-inning game is scheduled for April 1
st at 1:00 p.m. (CT)
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