WICHITA, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- Behind solid pitching performances from Matthew Green and Dylan Klava, the McPherson College baseball team swept a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) doubleheader from (RV) Friends University Saturday at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The Bulldogs (15-22, 6-9 KCAC), who took two of the three games in the weekend series, won by scores of 6-1 and 2-1.
Game 1 -- McPherson 6, Friends 1
Matthew Green (Torrance, Calif., Brethren Christian HS) tossed a complete game in the opener, scattering one run on seven hits and three walks while striking out six.
The Bulldogs jumped on Friends starter Daniel Rubio right away, touching him up for three runs in the top of the first inning. The first four batters of the frame reached for McPherson. A leadoff walk by
Dylan Klava (Douglas, Wyo., Colby CC) was followed up by singles from
Jackson Goodmiller (St. George, Kan., Rock Creek HS),
Lane Fleming (Council Grove, Kan., Council Grove HS) and
Dylan Fontenot (Lafayette, La., Carencro HS). Fleming drove in Klava and Goodmiller scored on Fontenot's base knock. Fleming came around to score the third run two batters later on a
Reily Martin (Auburn, Kan., Hayden HS) RBI groundout.
The Falcons got one run back in the bottom of the first as Jordan Burnett drew a one-out walk, then scored after back-to-back singles by John Gardner and Jace Snodgrass. Green struck out Brok Schwartkopf for out number two, then got out of the inning when Snodgrass was retired on a Elijah Christenson fielder's choice.
The lead grew to 4-1 in the fourth when, after a leadoff single, Martin scored on a squeeze bunt by
John Feaster (Gastonia, N.C., Junction City HS).
McPherson stranded a pair in the sixth but was able to capitalize in the seventh for two more runs.
Jakob Shields (DeSoto, Kan., DeSoto HS) reached on an infield single to open the inning off reliever Danny Bartels, then came around to score on pair of Friends throwing errors. Klava reached on the second error, stole second, then moved to third on a Goodmiller groundout before scoring on a groundout by Fleming.
The Falcons had one hit in each of its last three at-bats, including two by Jacob Trimble, but could not move a runner past second base against Green.
The Bulldogs pounded out 11 hits in game one, including three each by Fontenot and Shields. Fleming had two RBIs, while Klava, Fontenot, Martin and Feaster had one apiece.
Trimble accounted for two of Friends' seven hits, while Snodgrass had the only RBI.
Rubio (3-3) took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks over six innings. Relievers Bartles and Spencer Rubinoff combined to allow two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out one over the final three innings.
Game 2 -- McPherson 2, Friends 1
The second game was a pitcher's duel between Klava and Friends' Ryan Kokora. Klava gave up just one run on five hits and two walks while striking out two in 6 1/3 innings.
Soren Yarnall (Tustin, Calif., Santa Ana College) came on with one on and one out in the seventh and got the final two outs to earn the save.
Kokora allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five in a complete-game effort but was tagged with the loss.
After each team left one on in the first inning, McPherson broke through in the second inning. Willow led off with with a single to shallow right field, then was lifted for pinch-runner
Tristan Hawkinson (Hutchinson, Kan., Buhler HS). After a one-out single by Martin and a walk by
Kyle Wedel (Wasco, Calif., Taft College) to load the bases, Hawkinson scampered home on a wild pitch by Kokora. Kokora settled down, though, getting out of the frame with a pair of groundouts.
The Bulldogs double their lead with a run in the third inning.
Trevor Haycock (New Iberia, La., New Iberia Sr. HS) led off with a single to shallow left, then scored on a Fontenot RBI single to center.
Klava worked himself into and out of a jam in the third, hitting a batter and walking another with two outs. He got out of the inning when Gardner popped out to Wedel for the third out.
The Falcons rallied for a run in the fourth as Christenson scored on a Trimble RBI single to right-center, but left two to end the frame.
Friends stranded a runner at second in the fifth inning and had another chance in the bottom of the seventh after Kokora retired the final 12 batters he saw. Trimble led off the seventh with a single to right. Justin Fink followed with a bunt pop out, signaling the end of Klava's day. On came Yarnall, who promptly hit Augie Isaacson with a pitch to put runners on first and second with just one out. Yarnall settled down, though, getting Snodgrass to fly out to Haycock in right-center, then closing out the game when Gardner hit a ball up the middle that was snagged by Fontenot at shortstop. Fontenot stepped on second base to force out Isaacson to end the game.
Trimble was the only player on either team with multiple hits. He also had an RBI for Friends. Gardner hit a double for the game's only extra-base hit.
Fontenot, Haycock, Willow and Martin all went 1-for-3 for McPherson.
"Our DOGS showed once again that they are a resilient bunch," said head coach
Bryan Moses. "After getting shut down yesterday by a good pitcher, we got great performances of our own by Green and Klava. Our pitchers were ahead in the count all day and it made a big difference in our pace and tempo."
The Bulldogs are next in action April 8-9 when they host rival Kansas Wesleyan University (19-18, 2-10 KCAC) in a three-game weekend series.
