McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College softball team swept a doubleheader from No. 22 Morningside College Friday afternoon at Bulldog Park.
Christie Betker struck out 10 in game one as the Bulldogs came out on top, 4-3, in a pitcher's duel. McPherson then pounded out 17 hits en route to a 10-8 victory in game two.
Game 1 --- McPherson 4, Morningside 3
Starting pitchers
Christie Betker (Reno, Nev., Reno HS) of McPherson and Hallie Misiaszek of Morningside took center stage in game one, combining to strike out 16 batters through the opening four innings.
The Bulldogs stranded four runners in the first four innings before finally breaking through for a run in the bottom of the fifth.
Taylor Hires-Caulk (Fernley, Nev., Central Arizona College) led off the frame with a walk, then moved to second on a
Kylecia Taylor (Junction City, Kan., Junction City HS) sacrifice bunt before scoring on an RBI single by
Kimberly Trice (Antioch, Calif., Tennessee State University) to put McPherson up 1-0.
The Mustangs responded with three runs on three hits and and a Bulldog error in the top of the sixth inning to move in front 3-1. Tracey Edwards opened the frame with a single to left, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Lexi Stolen followed with a double to deep center and Mackenzie Lose drew a walk from Betker to load the bases. Edwards plated the first Morningside run on a wild pitch with Stolen following close behind when catcher
Jenna Christensen's (Fortuna, Calif., Fortuna Union HS) throw back to the plate missed the mark. Lose, who had moved up to third on the wild pitch, made it 3-1 when she came across on a Carson Cameron RBI single.
The Bulldogs got out of the inning with a groundout to short and a fly ball that was reeled in by
Chelsea Conrad (Ione, Calif., Argonaut HS) in center field.
McPherson matched the Morningside total, rallying for three runs with two outs.
Destiny Bacon (La Mesa, Calif., Grossmont HS) rapped a one-out double to left. After a strikeout, Hires-Caulk and Taylor drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for
Jessica Jones (Brentwood, Calif., Liberty HS), who rapped a bases-clearing triple to left. Jones was stranded at third, though, when Conrad struck out to end the inning, but the damage was done.
Betker closed out the game with a strikeout and a pair of fly-ball outs to the outfield. She fanned 10 while scattering five runs and a pair of walks in a complete-game effort to get the win.
Bacon had a pair of doubles to lead McPherson offensively, while Trice added a pair of singles. Jones' triple and a
Maile Deutsch (Palmer, Texas, Ennis HS) double to center to lead off the fourth accounted for the Bulldogs' remaining hits.
Misiaszek finished with 12 strikeouts, but was hung with the loss after allowing four runs on six hits while walking four over six innings of work.
Stolen led the Mustangs offensively with a double.
Game 2 --- McPherson 10, Morningside 8
The Bulldogs smashed 17 hits in the second game and needed every one of them to hold off a late Morningside charge.
Each team plated a run in the first inning on matching RBI singles by Lose and Trice.
After two scoreless innings, Morningside grabbed a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth. Lose was hit by a
Katy Wilson (Princeton, Texas, Princeton HS) pitch to open the frame, then came around to score when a Cameron single was misplayed in the outfield. Cameron later scored on a Jayci Hinker sacrifice fly.
McPherson exploded for seven runs on nine hits in the bottom half of the inning. Deutsch blasted a one-out solo home run to left to draw the Bulldogs within a run.
Ali Smith (Lodi, Calif., Lodi HS) followed with a single up the middle, which brought Morningside starter Paige Lansink's day to an end. McPherson continued to apply pressure against Mustang reliever AJ Medinger, ending up with five consecutive base hits. Christensen had an RBI single and
Taylor Perez (Tulsa, Okla., Memorial HS) added a two-run single to left-center in the stretch. The string was snapped with a Conrad sacrifice bunt that put runners at second and third, setting the table for Trice who responded with a two-run double down the left-field line.
Morningside trimmed the McPherson lead to 8-5 in the top of the fifth when Lose launched a two-run homer to left. The Bulldogs responded in the bottom half of the inning when Hires-Caulk hit a two-run shot of her own to dead center. Perez and Jones followed with singles and Conrad reached on an error to load the bases with just one out, but a strikeout and a fielder's choice got the Mustangs out of the inning without further damage.
McPherson opened the sixth with back-to-back singles by Smith and Bacon but could not cash in after a fly ball to left-center and a pair of infield pop-ups ended the inning.
The Mustangs mounted one last charge in the seventh as Abby Taylor opened the frame with a single to left and came around to score on Mara Amsberry single to left. Stolen followed with a two-run homer to left-center, signaling the end of Wilson's day in the circle.
Shelby Bonn (Shawnee, Kan., Mill Valley HS) came on and, after allowing a pair of base runners courtesy of an error and a base hit, got Jess Walker to ground back to her for the second out. Bonn then struck out Hinker looking to end the game and collect a two-out save.
Wilson picked up the win. She scattered eight hits and a pair of walks while striking out three in 6 1/3 innings.
Jones and Bacon led McPherson with three hits apiece, while Trice had two hits and a team-high three RBIs. Hires-Caulk and Perez each had two hits and two RBIs.
Lansink struck out five while allowing three runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings but did not factor into the decision. Medinger took the loss, allowing seven runs on 13 hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Lose finished with two hits and three RBIs, while Amsberry and Cameron also posted a pair of hits. Stolen drove in a pair.
"Having good pitching and good defense like we had today against a quality team like Morningside give us a lot of confidence headed into the conference season," said head coach
Ashley Hickman. "We were able to execute in a lot of areas, whether it was bunting or hit-and-runs. We really put it on [Morningside] in the second game and used our offense to work toward both keeping runners on and moving around the base-paths.
"Katy threw really well in game two. We went to Shelby in the end just to give them another look. Whether it's Katy, Christie, or anybody else, we have to be able to mix it up. With who we have in our bullpen, we have the ability to keep most offenses off balance. Katy and Christie pitched phenomenally today. With Katy, though, we just need to keep mixing up her pitches."
McPherson (13-11) is idle from competition in the upcoming week as the campus goes on Spring Break. The Bulldogs return to the diamond Saturday, March 24, when they host Tabor College (6-13) in a doubleheader to open Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) play. First pitch for game one from Bulldog Park is slated for 1 p.m.
