NORTH NEWTON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- After suffering an offensive power outage Thursday night against Kansas Wesleyan, the McPherson College softball team found their bats Saturday, sweeping Bethel College in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) doubleheader. The Bulldogs (16-17, 2-5 KCAC) took game one, 8-5, and game two, 21-6.
Game 1 --- McPherson 8, Bethel 5
Judith Salazar (Santa Maria, Calif., Allen Hancock College) drove in five in the opener as the Bulldogs raced out to an 8-1 lead, then head to hold on as the Threshers rallied for four in the seventh and had the tying run at the plate.
Bethel grabbed the early lead as Krystin McKelpin sent a 2-2 offering from McPherson starter
Christie Betker (Reno, Nev., Reno HS)Â over the left-field fence for a solo home run in the second inning.
The Bulldogs responded in the third, loading the bases on a a single, an error and a fielder's choice before being promptly emptied by a Salazar bases-clearing triple to deep right-center.
McPherson continued to build the lead in the fourth, manufacturing a run after a
Jasmine Curiel (Corona, Calif., Corona HS) leadoff single. Salazar followed later in the inning with a two-run single.
The Threshers advanced a runner to third in the fifth inning as McKelpin hit a leadoff single. Pinch-runner Autumn Lerback moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt, then took third on a McPherson throwing error, but was stranded there by a strikeout and a groundout to short.
Two more runs came across for the Bulldogs in the sixth as
Jessica Jones (Brentwood, Calif., Liberty HS) scored on an
Ali Smith (Lodi, Calif., Lodi HS) single up the middle and
Kortney Jones (Brentwood, Calif., Liberty HS) scored from third on a passed ball. McPherson also had an opportunity in the seventh, but stranded runners at second and third.
Bethel started to find their timing against Betker in the seventh but, in the end, it was too late. The Threshers scored four runs on two hits, an error, a pair of walks and a hit batter, but Betker regrouped and got out of the jam with the tying run at the plate.
Betker threw a complete game, striking out 10 to set a new program single-season record for strikeouts with 111. The old mark was 110 by Kelsey Dutton in 2011.
Salazar and
Katie Holmes (Harrah, Okla., Cowley County CC) each had two hits to lead the Bulldogs, while Jessica Jones,
Erica Almaraz (San Bernandino, Calif., Aquinas HS) and
Chelsea Conrad (Ione, Calif., Argonaut HS) each scored twice.Â
Madison McDowell took the loss in the circle for Bethel, striking out three and walking one in six innings. She also struck out three times at the plate.
McKelpin was the Threshers' top hitter, accounting for three of the team's four hits and two of three RBIs.
Game 2 --- McPherson 21, Bethel 6
The Bulldogs had 20 hits, including six doubles and a pair of home runs, while routing the Threshers, 21-6, in game two.
Holmes and
Azaria Romero (McPherson, Kan., Kansas Wesleyan University) each had a double, a home run and drove in five runs to lead McPherson.
The Bulldogs broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the third inning. Salazar scored on a Holmes RBI single, Kortney Jones crossed on a Romero sacrifice fly and Smith and Holmes came home on a double to deep right-center by Curiel.
The Threshers countered with three runs in the bottom half of the frame on a two-run double by Kiera Broehl. Broehl later scored on a sacrifice bunt by Jeni Reichenberger.
McPherson plated four more runs in the fourth keyed by RBI hits from Kortney Jones, Holmes and Romero. Salazar hit an RBI double in the fifth, then Holmes hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to push the lead to 12-4.
Bethel scored two runs on two hits and two Bulldog errors in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 12-6, but McPherson sent 14 to the plate in the top of the seventh, scoring nine runs on eight hits. Romero hit a 3-run homer and Kortney Jones hit a two-run double in the frame.
Seven different McPherson batters had multiple hits and six had multiple RBIs in the game. Holmes finished with three hits, four runs scored and five RBIs, while Romero was 2-for-5 with five RBIs and a run scored. Smith added three hits, four runs and two RBIs. Salazar had three hits, including her school-record 16th double of the season. She also had two RBIs and two runs scored.
Sydney Lang picked up the complete-game victory in the circle, scattering six runs on eight hits and six walks while striking out eight.
Abbie Hutton was hung with the loss for Bethel. Katie Schrag was the only Thresher with multiple hits. She also accounted for two of Bethel's six runs.
The Bulldogs return to the diamond Sunday afternoon for a makeup doubleheader against York College. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at Wall Park. The twin bill had been twice rescheduled due to weather.
