Softball | 5/4/2014 7:10:00 PM
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Great Bend, Kan. – The 2014 campaign for McPherson softball has come to a close after a pair of losses in the double-elimination KCAC Postseason Tournament this past weekend. The Lady Bulldogs end the season at 16-23.
Game 1 – vs. Ottawa University – L 3-0
The opening game of the tournament for Mac was a low-scoring affair as just three total runners crossed the plate on eight hits; unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they tallied only one hit and no runs scored, losing 3-0 to the second-seeded Braves and pushing them to the loser's bracket.
Simone Donaldson (Halstead, Kan.), playing the designated player position, tallied the team's lone hit in her first at bat; Amanda Darrow also got aboard once via a walk.
In her final conference tournament, Kaila Atkinson (Magnolia, Texas) started things at the mound for MC, pitching four and two-thirds before being relieved; she allowed two runs off of five hits while striking out two. Ciara Archer (Denver, Colo.) closed things out for the Bulldogs, throwing to seven Braves, retiring four.
Game 2 – vs. Tabor College – L 11-7
After a slow first two innings, both Tabor and the Bulldogs decided to showcase their bats as all 18 runs were scored in the final five innings. Mac got on the board first with two in the third but TC jumped in front with their three-run bottom half of the inning. After allowing one to the 'Jays in the fifth, McPherson exploded for five in the sixth to go up 7-4 with just two innings to play. Tabor took advantage of some over exhausted pitchers and put seven on the board in their half of the sixth, sending them into the loser's bracket finals; the Blue Jays eventually lost to Kansas Wesleyan in the tournament championships 7-3.
12 knocks of the ball were tallied by the 'Dogs with Donaldson leading the way with three; the sophomore was a perfect 3-of-3 from the plate, including a homerun, with two RBI and two runs scored. Both Emily Davis (McPherson, Kan.) and Jenna Kaiser (Billings, Mont.) tabbed two hits while five others logged one.
Archer pitched all but two-thirds of an inning in the seven-inning game; she surrendered six earned runs on eight hits and two walks. Atkinson recorded the other two outs en route to giving up five earned on five hits.
The Lady Bulldogs are now done for the year. The squad loses just two seniors in Kaila Atkinson and KCAC Second Team Outfielder Ariel McGee.
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