McPherson, Kan. – McPherson College baseball came out and took game one of the four-game series 6-5 with Bethany College but unfortunately lost the next three 13-7, 7-1, 11-2. Mac now sits at 6-25 overall and 2-10 in the KCAC.
Friday, Game 1 – 6-5 McPherson College
MC got on the board first as Tom Potter scored on an Evan Willow double in the opening inning. Bethany tied it up in the second but Mac took the lead back in the fourth as Kyle McDonald crossed home after one of Trevor Haycock's two doubles. McPherson added three more runs in the fifth to lead 5-1 with just two innings left to play. The Swedes weren't going to go away easy as they scored four in the sixth to tie things up.
The Bulldogs had a runner on third with just one out in the bottom of the sixth but couldn't get him across leaving the score at 5-5 with just one inning to play. MC gave up a pair of hits but was able to keep Bethany scoreless, giving them a chance to take the game. A one-out single by Dylan Fontenot allowed Matt Bryan to come all the way around from first and win the game for the 'Dogs 6-5.
The sticks were rolling for McPherson in game one of the series as they netted 13 hits; they also got on twice on walks. Willow went 3-of-4 in the contest to lead the way. Potter, McDonald, and Haycock each tabbed two hits. Reily Martin recorded one hit, one RBI, and one run scored as he hit his first home run since the 6th grade, that'd be 2008.
Ethan Dowling had another solid performance at the mound for Mac. He went six innings, allowing five runs on eight hits; take away the sixth inning and it was a nearly flawless outing for the freshman. Brant Rhoades pitched in the seventh and record the win for the Bulldog pitching staff.
Friday, Game 2 – 13-7 Bethany College
The Swedes used a monster seven-run second inning to propel them to a quick 8-0 lead in the second game of the day's doubleheader; there was an error by the Bulldogs that would have kept the inning to just three runs. MC responded with three runs in their half of the second but Bethany posted another four in the fourth to jump back up big. McPherson scored three more in the fifth and then one in the seventh but didn't have enough fire power to overtake BC, losing 13-7.
The Bulldogs did a nice job at the plate as they tallied nine hits and also drew six walks. McDonald and Martin each tabbed two hits and a walk to lead the team in on-base percentage; Willow also got on three times, once on a hit and two more times via base on balls. Fontenot made it safely to first twice as he drew one walk and also logged a single; his lone hit accounted for a team-high two RBI.
Freshman Jesse Correll got the starting nod for game two and went one and a third innings before being relieved. Loren Farley completed the second and also the third. Colter Streck pitched a near-perfect two innings as he allowed just one walk in his seven batters faced. Keegan Hays finished the night for Mac, allowing one earned run on two hits.
Saturday, Game 1 – 7-1 Bethany College
The 'Dogs certainly missed all that day one scoring in day two as they tallied just three runs on 10 hits in the pair of games.
In the opener, Bethany got on top 3-0 after the third inning as they took advantage of some Mac miscues. In the fourth, the Swedes extended their lead to 7-0. The Bulldogs were able to get one around in the fifth as Shon Pinard scored on a Martin triple but were unable to score in the final two innings, losing 7-1.
Five different MC players tabbed a hit in the day's first game. Fontenot made it to first twice as he drew the team's lone walk to go along with his hit.
Nathan Crowe recorded the complete game for McPherson. The freshman allowed the seven runs, six earned, one unearned, on eight hits; he had a pair of Ks in his six innings of work.
Saturday, Game 2 – 11-2 Bethany College
Mac took a 2-0 lead in the second as they were able to convert on Bethany's errors; unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they didn't see anybody cross home plate in the final five innings. BC jumped in front in the third with four runs and then added five more in the fourth and two in the fifth. Both teams went scoreless for the final two innings, ending the game at 11-2 in favor of the Swedes.
John Feaster led the team in hits with his two; the redshirt freshman also had a stolen base for MC. Four others logged one hit; Bryce Strecker tallied one of those hits and also got hit by a pitch making him 1-of-2 for the day.
Haycock moved to pitcher for the final game of the series and went three innings before being relieved; the freshman allowed five earned runs on seven hits while logging two strikeouts. Hays, Streck, and Rhoades finished out the game for the Bulldog pitching staff; Strecker had two strikeouts in his one and two-thirds innings.
McPherson travels to Hays, Kansas to take on NCAA D-II Fort Hays State University on March 31st for a nine-inning contest starting at 7:00 p.m. (CT)
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
