Baseball | 4/21/2013 9:56:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – The Bulldogs still have some work to do if they want to make it into their first ever KCAC postseason tournament after their 2-2 series split with Friends allowed the Falcons and USM Spires to inch closer. MC either needs to defeat KCAC No. 1 Sterling College twice this weekend or hope that Saint Mary and Friends each lose a couple of their games.
Game 1 – at Friends University – W 10-3
The opening competition of the day saw its first runner cross the plate in the bottom of the third when the Falcons took a 1-0 lead. While Friends would score two in the fifth, MC put runs on the board in the final four innings giving the ‘Dogs the game one 10-3 triumph.
Four of the team’s first six batters, and five in total, ended the first contest with two hits apiece;
Brendan Miller (Taber, Alberta, Canada) led the way in RBI with three and made it aboard on three of his five plate appearances.
Taylor Werts (Mansfield, Texas) and
Josh Grant (Paris, Texas) each had one hit and also got to first via walks; Werts did so two times and Grant once.
Friends tallied 10 hits with three players garnering two each. Casey Schweninger went 2-of-3 for the day and had a team-high two RBI.
Nolan Huelsmann (Goddard, Kan.) got the win for the Mac pitching staff after throwing five innings; he allowed eight hits but just three earned runs while striking out five of the 23 batters he faced.
Brant Rhoades (Burlington, Colo) entered in the top of the sixth and recorded two outs before right fielder Werts came in to close things out; Werts pitched the final two and a third innings, putting out all four Falcons he came up against.
Game 2 – at Friends University – W 12-2
The second game of the series started slowly with each team only grabbing one hit through the first couple innings. The third was full of runs as Mac jumped ahead with three in the top half of the inning which Friends answered with two of their own when they were behind the plate. McPherson held the Falcons scoreless for the remainder of the game but were able to put up nine more runs themselves taking a 2-0 series lead after the 12-2 victory.
For the second-straight game, MC had a plethora of two-hit Bulldogs, five to be exact. Werts had a team-high five RBI with his two knocks of the ball, one of which was a double. Miller once again led the squad in on-base percentage as he got to first four out of his five chances.
The Falcons put the ball into play seven times; Charlie Aznavoorian went 3-of-3 and also earned a walk to lead his team. Andrew Miller was next on the team in hits with two.
Tyler Watie (Ulysses, Kan.) threw for four and a third inning before
Colter Streck (Woodland Park, Colo.) entered to finish out the fifth. Watie logged six hits and two earned runs allowed while Streck forced two fly outs.
Willie Lopez (Round Rock, Texas) finished off the Falcons as he pitched two run-less innings.
Game 3 – vs. Friends University – L 5-2
The Bulldogs scored the first two runs at their home stadium on Sunday, going on top 2-0 after three. The Falcons, however, got runners past the plate in each of the next four innings to claim a 5-2 victory, putting the series at 2-1 McPherson.
After having some high scoring contests in Wichita the day before, Mac had difficulty scoring at home on the gusty afternoon. Four different players tallied the team’s hits and
Zach Wilson (Miliken, Colo.) recorded a team-high two RBI coming off his third inning homerun.
The Falcons were able to get aboard but had trouble sending them home until the final few innings. They were led in hits by three players with two; five others logged one in the victory.
Scott Hughes (Albuquerque, N.M.) pitched for the first six innings of the game and came away with the loss; he gave up eight hits and three earned runs before Werts came in relief. Werts surrendered three hits and two earned runs in the game’s final inning.
Game 4 – vs. Friends University – L 9-7
The final competition of the series was a wild one. Friends jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first two innings but then MC came back and got in front after a four-run bottom of the fifth. The ‘Dogs scored again in the sixth and held a 6-3 advantage heading into the final inning. The Falcons took advantage of some rough pitching by Mac and belted in six runs, forcing McPherson to attempt to win it in the bottom of the inning. Wilson slammed his second homerun of the day but was the last Bulldog to cross home plate, giving Friends the series tying 9-7 win.
Nine hits were accumulated by MC in the loss; Miller went 3-of-4 from the plate including a homerun to lead the squad. Wilson tallied two hits while four others netted one.
Once again, the Falcons outhit Mac as they put the ball into play 11 times. Four different players had two hits and three more logged one. Aaron Malone totaled a team-high three RBI with his homerun in the seventh inning.
A whole slew of pitchers made their way to the mound for McPherson; Werts got the start and Streck picked up the loss as he threw for the majority of the seventh.
Mac baseball is set to host cross-town rival Central Christian College this week, the date and time is yet to be determined.
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