TYLER/HAWKINS, Texas (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College baseball team suffered its first losses of the season but emerged from a second straight weekend trip to the Lone Star State with a split overall.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs (6-2) topped Texas College, 14-4, in five innings before falling to the Steers, 11-7, in the night cap. Jarvis Christian edged McPherson, 1-0, in Sunday's opener, but the Bulldogs rebounded for a 14-2 victory to conclude the weekend.
Saturday
Game 1 -- McPherson 14, Texas College 4 (5 inn.)
The Bulldogs scored five runs in the second inning, then exploded for nine runs in the fifth to remain unbeaten.
Mark Strebin (Westville, Ill., Danville Area CC),
Reily Martin (Auburn, Kan., Hayden HS) and
Bryce Strecker (Hutchinson, Kan., Trinity Catholic HS) each drove in two, while
Trevor Haycock (New Iberia, La., New Iberia Sr. HS) and
Lane Fleming (Council Grove, Kan., Council Grove HS) had two hits apiece.
Matthew Green (Torrance, Calif., Brethren Christian HS) picked up the win on the mound, scattering four runs on five hits while walking two and striking out three.
Brett Carter (Sachse, Texas, Sachse HS) threw a scoreless fifth inning before the game was called due to weather.
Game 2 -- Texas College 11, McPherson 7
After allowing a run in the bottom of the first inning, McPherson took advantage of a pair of Texas College errors to post three runs in top of the second inning. The Steers responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame on a two-run single by Kameron Davis.
Both teams scored two in the third with the Bulldogs' tallies coming on a two-run home run to right field by
Dylan Fontenot (Carencro, La., Carencro HS).
McPherson grabbed a 6-5 lead on a bases-loaded play in the top of the fourth, but could not keep Texas College off the basepaths in the bottom half of the inning. The Steers scored six in the frame behind a 3-run home run by Emanuel Jimenez and a two-run double by Hunter Babineaux.
The Bulldogs added one more run in the seventh as Fontenot scored on an error after leading off the frame with a double to right.
Fontenot finished with two hits including a home run and a double, while driving in two and scoring twice to lead the Bulldogs.
Evan Willow (Victoria, B.C., Canada, Lambrick Park HS) and
Brevin Baessler (Tempe, Ariz., Western Nebraska CC)Â added doubles
Josh Lewis (Loveland, Colo., Thompson Valley HS) had a rough start for McPherson, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out two, but left with a no-decision three innings of work. Carter - one of four Bulldog relievers - took the loss.
Sunday
Game 1 -- Jarvis Christian College 1, McPherson 0
Game 2 -- McPherson 15, Jarvis Christian College 2
Statistics were not immediately available for the Jarvis Christian doubleheader.
"It's tough to lose 1-0, especially after [Luke Whitfield] threw his heart out" said head coach
Bryan Moses after the JCC doubleheader. "I think the way we bounced back to score 15 runs on the last day of a long road trip says something about our guys. It was a good feeling to be able to even up the weekend."
A new era in McPherson baseball begins in earnest this weekend when the Bulldogs inaugurate Bulldog Park with doubleheaders against Evangel University and Oklahoma Panhandle State University. McPherson plays Evangel (1-3) at noon Friday and Panhandle (3-3) at noon Sunday.
