STERLING, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) ---
Dylan Klava (Douglas, Wyo., Colby CC) had three hits and drove in a run as the McPherson College baseball team defeated Sterling College, 7-6, in the third and final game of their Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) series Saturday afternoon at the Sterling College diamond.
The victory gave McPherson (21-24, 10-11 KCAC) the overall win in the series and a new school record for victories in a season.
McPherson stranded runners in the first and third innings, opening the door for the hosts in the bottom of the third inning. Sterling scored twice in the frame as Jake Schimenz scored on a Miguel Reyes RBI single to left with the bases loaded and Javoni Thomas followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk.
The Bulldogs cut into the lead with a run in the fourth as pinch-runner
John Feaster (Gastonia, N.C., Junction City HS) scored from third on a double steal. Two more runs followed in the fifth as
Bryce Strecker (Hutchinson, Kan., Trinity Catholic HS) scored on a Klava RBI single to left and
Jakob Shields (DeSoto, Kan., DeSoto HS) came home on a successful squeeze by
Trevor Haycock (New Iberia, La., New Iberia Sr. HS) to give McPherson a 3-2 lead.
The Warriors were retired in order in the bottom of the fifth, opening the door for the Bulldogs to extend their lead. With one out and runners on the corners in the sixth,
Jackson Goodmiller (St. George, Kan., Rock Creek HS) lofted a ball to right field that was hauled in.
Reily Martin (Auburn, Kan., Hayden HS) tagged from third on the play and scored on the sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
The lead expanded to 7-2 after McPherson plated three runs in the seventh. After the Bulldogs loaded the bases behind a pair of singles and a hit batter, Klava scored when
Dylan Fontenot (Lafayette, La., Carencro HS) was hit by a pitch. In the ensuing at-bat,
Tristan Hawkinson (Hutchinson, Kan., Buhler HS) scored on a Ryo Takenaka wild pitch and Martin scampered home on a passed ball.
Sterling cut into the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Manny Rojas reached on a throwing error, then came around to score on a Corey Davis infield single. Davis moved from first to third on a stolen base and a throwing error by
Evan Willow (Victoria, B.C., Canada, Lambrick Park HS) before scoring on another Reyes RBI single to left.
After the Bulldogs left a pair of runners on in the eighth, the Warriors missed a chance to further chip away at the lead. With two outs, Sterling loaded the bases behind a Rojas single, a Cristian Bracero walk and a Schimenz single but Davis flew out to deep right center and McPherson escaped unscathed..
The hosts had one final chance in the ninth. Nicholas Domitrovich led off the inning with a double to right. After back-to-back walks to load the bases,
Brett Carter (Sachse, Texas, Sachse HS) was brought in from the bullpen. He was greeted by Eddie Juarez, who promptly hit a two-run single to right to make it a one-run ballgame. Carter settled down sandwiching a pair of strikeouts around another walk that reloaded the bases before getting Schimenz to ground out to second to end the game.
Klava led all players with three hits while Shields was the only other Bulldog with multiple hits. Klava, Haycock, Fontenot and Goodmiller each drove in a run, while Martin scored twice.
Juarez and Reyes each had two hits and two RBIs for the Warriors, while Davis had two hits, an RBI and two runs scored.
Whether intentional or not, it ended up being a staff day for both teams on the mound. McPherson used six pitchers, Sterling five.
Logan Worswick (Sachse, Texas, Sachse HS) got the start for the Bulldogs, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks in three innings before being lifted in favor of
Blake Ware (Overland Park, Kan., Allen County CC). Ware threw 3 2/3 innings, allowing two unearned runs on three hits and two walks en route to the win.
Jarrod Manick (Aldergrove, B.C., Canada, Yale Secondary School),
Cameron Oram (Cody, Wyo., Cody HS) and
Loren Farley (Wellington, Kan., Wellington HS) bridged the gap to the ninth inning for Carter, who entered with the bases loaded and none out and allowed just two inherited runners to score to get the save.
Sterling starter Jerrott Gray took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven in 5 1/3 innings.
With their 21st victory, the Bulldogs surpassed the previous record of 20 wins posted in both 2013 and 2016.
"I thought today was a gutsy win for our 'Dogs," said head coach
Bryan Moses. "A lot of people pitched and we got performances from a a lot of different people. Any time you win a series on the road against a ranked opponent, it's a big deal. I'm proud of our guys for coming through in all of the pressure situations this game presented to us."
With six games remaining in the league schedule, the Bulldogs sit squarely in the sixth and final qualifying spot for the KCAC Postseason Tournament. McPherson hosts Tabor April 22-23 for its final home series of the season. That will be followed by a nonconference doubleheader against Central Christian College at Light Capital Diamond on April 25 before the regular season concludes with a three-game series at Bethany April 29-30.
