McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College baseball team took a big step toward solidifying a spot in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Tournament with a doubleheader split with No. 12 Tabor College Sunday afternoon at Light Capital Diamond.
The Bulldogs (23-25, 11-12 KCAC) jumped out to a 6-0 lead, then needed to hold on for a 6-5 victory in game one. The Bluejays (34-12, 15-8 KCAC) responded with a 12-1 win in the nightcap.
Game 1 -- McPherson 6, No. 12 Tabor 5
McPherson hit three home runs while building a 6-0 lead after three innings in support of starter
Soren Yarnall (Tustin, Calif., Santa Ana College).
Lane Fleming (Council Grove, Kan., Council Grove HS) and
Dylan Fontenot (Lafayette, La., Carencro HS) clouted solo homers in the first and second innings, then
Evan Willow (Victoria, B.C., Canada, Lambrick Park HS) followed with a two-run shot as part of the Bulldogs' four-run third inning.
In addition,
Kyle Wedel (Wasco, Calif., Taft College) scored on a Tabor throwing error and
Jakob Shields (DeSoto, Kan., DeSoto HS) crossed the plate on a
Trevor Haycock (New Iberia, La., New Iberia Sr. HS) RBI single in the frame.
After a scoreless fourth inning, the Bluejays got on the board in the fifth on a two-run home run by Kyle James.
Tabor added three runs off reliever
Brett Carter (Sachse, Texas, Sachse HS) in the sixth. Jacob Jones scored on an errant throw from the outfield after a Joel Frias single to left. Frias later scored when Jaxson Hooge took the first pitch he saw from Carter over the left-field fence to cut the score to 6-5.
Matthew Green (Torrance, Calif., Brethren Christian HS) came on in the seventh, allowing just two base-runners over the final three innings to earn a save.
Yarnall picked up the win for McPherson, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one in five innings.
The Bulldogs finished with nine hits, led by two from Haycock. Every McPherson starter except one (Wedel) finished with a hit. Wedel did reach on a walk, however.
Jagger Harjo took the loss for Tabor, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six in 5 1/3 innings. Skyler Cohn pitched the final 2 2/3 innings for the Bluejays, allowing just one hit.
James finished with three of Tabor's 11 hits while also driving in a pair. Frias and AJ Shaw both added a pair of hits.
Game 2 -- No. 12 Tabor 12, McPherson 1
Tabor pitcher Jordan Harris helped his own cause in game two with a pair of home runs and six RBIs to lead the Bluejays. He also picked up the pitching win, allowing just one run on six hits and a walk while striking out seven in six inning.
After leaving two on in the first inning, the Bulldogs struck for a run in the second as Dylan Fontenot led off the frame with a solo home run to left. McPherson continue to apply pressure in the frame, advancing runners to second and third, but could not push another run across.
Tabor responded with five runs in the third as Harris hit a three-run shot and Braxon Byfield followed three batters later with a two-run homer - both to left field off McPherson starter
Blake Ware (Overland Park, Kan., Allen County CC).
Ware was lifted in favor of
Jeromy Denton (Mesa, Ariz., Colby CC) to start the fourth inning. The result against Harris was the same, however, as the Tabor pitcher hit his second 3-run homer to left in as many innings.
The Bluejays extended the lead in the fifth as Kyle James and AJ Shaw hit back-to-back RBI doubles after John Izquierdo reached on a two-out single, then tacked on two more runs in the sixth as Blake Standiford drew a bases-loaded walk and Jacob Jones scored on an Izquierdo sacrifice fly.
Reagan McCloud threw a perfect seventh for Tabor, while James and Abdiel Alicea each had three hits offensively for the Bluejays.
McPherson finished with six hits overall, including two in the first inning. Evan Willow was the only Bulldog will multiple hits.
A total of five pitchers were used by McPherson in the contest. Ware took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk in three innings. Denton,
Logan Worswick (Sachse, Texas, Sachse HS),
Loren Farley (Wellington, Kan., Wellington HS) and
Treyton DeVore (Inman, Kan., Inman HS) each threw one inning.
"Today's win helped us put the heat on our closest pursuers in the league standings," said head coach Bryan Moses. "The fact it was a rival - and a ranked rival - means a lot, though. With just four KCAC games left, any victory we can get helps our playoff positioning. We've come a long way, but we know we're not done yet. "
The teams finish off the three-game series with a single nine-inning game Monday evening. First pitch at Light Capital Diamond is slated for 5:30 p.m. The Bulldogs return to Light Cap the following evening - this time as the visiting team - to complete a four-game season series with Central Christian College. First pitch for Tuesday's nine-inning game is slated for 6 p.m.
