Baseball | 4/28/2013 7:19:00 PM
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McPherson, Kan. – A 1-3 series showing against the conference’s top team, and the NAIA’s No. 18, Sterling College squeezes the Bulldogs into their first ever postseason KCAC Tournament.
Game 1 – vs. Sterling College – L 6-1
The opening game started rough for MC as they gave up two in each of the first two innings; the four-run total would end up being enough for the Warriors but Sterling tacked on two more, one coming in the fourth and the other in the seventh. Mac’s
Andrew Pina (Wichita, Kan.) took one yard in the bottom of the final inning to put the Bulldogs on the board. After consulting the radar, the second game of the doubleheader was pushed to Saturday.
Four total hits were tabbed by McPherson in their 6-1 loss; catcher
Bennett Ratzloff (Shawnee, Kan.) tallied two of those positive knocks while Pina and
Zach Wilson (Miliken, Colo.) made up the other two.
Anthony Stewart went a perfect 4-of-4 from the plate for the Warriors; he had three singles and a double. The team logged 11 hits in the seven-inning contest and had two players with two and three others with one to go along with Stewarts’.
Nolan Huelsmann (Goddard, Kan.) pitched the complete game for MC, throwing to 34 SC athletes; he gave up five earned runs.
Game 2 – vs. Sterling College – W 3-1
The Bulldogs put three runs on the board in the opening inning of game two; they held Sterling scoreless for all but the fourth inning when the Warriors scored their lone run, giving MC a 3-1 victory.
Mac’s three runs came off three hits and seven walks; Wilson,
Brendan Miller (Taber, Alberta, Canada) and
Josh Grant (Paris, Texas) were the ‘Dogs that tabbed the hits.
SC was only able to garner two hits in their loss; Joe Battaglia homered in the fourth to put the Warriors on the board.
Tyler Watie (Ulysses, Kan.) got the starting nod for MC and threw for four innings; he surrendered the two hits and run while putting out 12 batters.
Taylor Werts (Mansfield, Texas) came in relief and earned the save for the Bulldogs; he faced 10 SC players and put all but one out.
Game 3 – at Sterling College – L 2-1
Due to field conditions at Sterling, the two teams played game one of the second doubleheader in McPherson on Saturday. It was another low-scoring affair; MC was the first to put up a run as Wilson homered in the fourth. The Warriors answered in the sixth with one of their own, forcing extra innings after neither team scored in the seventh. SC was able to get a runner across in their half of the eighth to take the win 2-1.
Wilson had a team-high two hits and was followed by
Jose Nossa (Valencia, Venezuela) and Grant who each put the ball into play once.
Joe Williams went a perfect 4-of-4 from the plate for Sterling, belting one homerun along with a double and two singles. Three other Warriors tallied a hit in their win.
Scott Hughes (Albuquerque, N.M.) went six innings for McPherson in route to his no decision; he pitched to 22 batters and allowed five hits but just one run.
Brant Rhoades (Burlington, Colo) pitched the seventh, taking down three of the four batters he faced. Werts entered at the start of the eighth and got one out before allowing the game’s final run.
Game 4 – at Sterling College – L 19-8
The last game of the series had to be played in McPherson as well and was much different from the previous three contests as more runs were scored in one inning than in the other games combined. The Bulldogs, playing guests on their home field, put up four in the second and fourth, taking an 8-4 lead into the bottom of the inning. Sterling caught fire and scored a mind-boggling 12 runs to jump in front; Mac had a tough time with their pitching staff as they went through three pitchers in that inning alone. SC ended the contest on top 19-8 after three runs in their final two innings.
Nossa, Miller and
Dorian Shelton (Kansas City, Mo.) each logged two hits in the loss; Wilson and
Keegan Bednasek (Topeka, Kan.) each totaled one for Mac. Nossa had four of the team’s RBI while Wilson and Miller each tallied two.
18 hits and eight walks were how the Warriors were able to score their 19 runs. The squad was led by Battaglia with his four knocks of the ball; he also made it aboard via a walk. Two players tallied three hits while two more had two; four others logged one.
It was a pitching carousel for the Bulldogs as they went through five pitchers with two innings being the longest stay on the mound.
Jalen Davenport (Miliken, Colo.) picked up the loss for MC as he gave up the lead-changing run in the fourth.
The ‘Dogs will either be the fourth or fifth seed in the upcoming conference tournament following their 12-16 KCAC showing. The No. 4 and No. 5 seeds play on Tuesday evening for the first game of the tournament; start time is 7:00 p.m. (CT) at Hobart-Detter Field in Hutchinson, Kan.
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