McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College softball team moved back above .500 overall after picking up three wins Friday on the opening day of the Friends University Invitational. The Bulldogs (7-6) opened the day with a 6-2 win over Graceland University, then posted run-rule victories over Bacone College (14-6; 6 innings) and Hastings College (9-0; 5 innings).
McPherson 6, Graceland 2
Christie Betker (Reno, Nev., Reno HS) set a single-game school record with 16 strikeouts and Bulldogs pounded out 11 hits, but the game remained in the balance late as the Yellowjackets stranded two runners each in the sixth and seventh innings.
Jessica Jones (Brentwood, Calif., Liberty HS) got McPherson off on the right foot by beating out an infield single on the first pitch of the game. She moved around on a Graceland error and a wild pitch before scoring on a
Maile Deutsch (Palmer, Texas, Ennis HS) sacrifice fly to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. The Yellowjackets countered with a run in the bottom half of the frame as Daryn Nowlin scored on a Mattison Springs RBI single.
McPherson grabbed the lead for good with two runs in the second inning as
Destiny Bacon (La Mesa, Calif., Grossmont HS) scored on a wild pitch and
Amanda Connell (Wichita, Kan., Circle HS) drove in
Jenna Christensen (Fortuna, Calif., Fortuna Union HS) with a single through the left side of the infield. The Bulldogs extended the lead to four with two more runs in the fifth inning as Deutsch and
Ali Smith (Lodi, Calif., Lodi HS) scored on back-to-back RBI singles by Christensen and Connell. Connell's single loaded the bases with two outs, but Graceland avoided further damage when Connell was forced out at second on an inning-ending fielder's choice.
Jones led off the sixth inning with a bunt single, stole second, then came around to score on consecutive infield ground-outs for the final McPherson run.
Graceland got one run back in the bottom of the sixth as Camryn Kuehl led off the inning with a solo home run. Mariela Sorto and Brennan Banks reached on walks sandwiched around a strikeout to put runners on first and second, but Betker settled down and struck out Kendalynn Rockey and Amanda Findora to get out of the jam.
After the Bulldogs were retired in order in the seventh, the Yellowjackets again threatened. Nowlin reached on a one-out walk, then moved to second on a Breanna Fortune single. Nowlin was forced out at third when Kuehl hit into a fielder's choice and Sorto flew out to Jones in left to end the game.
Jones led all players with three hits, while also scoring twice and stealing a pair of bases. Connell added two hits and two RBIs and Hires-Caulk and
Kimberly Trice (Antioch, Calif., Tennessee State University) each had a double.
Springs had two hits and an RBI to help her own cause. In the circle, she allowed six runs (two earned) on 10 hits and a walk while striking out three in 5 2/3 innings.
Betker's 16 strikeouts broke the mark of 14 she posted last season against Central Christian College.
McPherson 14, Bacone 6 (6 inn.)
The Bulldogs scored eight runs in the top of the sixth inning to break a 6-6 tie, then retired the Warriors in order in the bottom half of the frame to win the shortened contest.
McPherson put two on the board in the first as Jones scored on a Deutch RBI ground-out and Trice followed when Smith tripled down the left-field line. Bacone countered with three runs in the bottom of the frame, posting three straight one-out hits, then taking advantage of a pair of Bulldog errors.
After stranding a pair of runners in the second inning, the Bulldogs responded with four runs in the third. Hires-Caulk drove in a pair with an RBI single down the right-field line, then scored along with Christensen when Jones reached on a throwing error by Bacone pitcher Griffin GIlbert.
The Warriors bounced back with three runs in the bottom of the frame off McPherson starter
Katy Wilson (Princeton, Texas, Princeton HS) to tie the game before she was relieved by
Shelby Bonn (Shawnee, Kan., Mill Valley HS) with two on and two out in the frame. Bonn struck out Azia Robinson to get out of the jam.
The tie held until the sixth when Jones led off the inning with a triple deep down the left-field line. She then scored when the relay throw ended up near the McPherson dugout. In all, the Bulldogs sent 12 batters to the plate in the frame. Jones added another RBI single later in the inning. Bacon and
Kylecia Taylor (Junction City, Kan., Junction City HS) also had RBI singles, while Hires-Caulk hit a bases-clearing triple.
The first two batters Bonn faced in the bottom of the sixth went down looking at strike three before Tayla Topaha grounded out to Taylor at third base for the game's final out.
McPherson amassed 14 hits, led by three more from Jones, who also drove in a pair and scored twice. Smith, Bacon, Christensen and Hires-Caulk all had two hits, with Hires-Caulk driving in five from the No. 9 spot in the batting order.
Shailyn Ayze was the only Bacone player with multiple hits, while Tatum Elders drove in a pair.
Bonn picked up the win for McPherson in relief, throwing 3 1/3 innings of relief. She allowed only one baserunner (via an error) and struck out four.
McPherson 9, Hastings 0 (5 inn.)
The Bulldogs closed the day with a 14-hit outburst while Betker struck out eight while limiting the Broncos to just two hits over five innings.
McPherson jumped out in front right away as Jones reached on a single to left, then scored on a Chelsea Conrad triple. Deutsch drove in Conrad with an RBI single, then scored when Bacon's single to left was mishandled in the outfield. Bacon provided the final Bulldog run of the frame when she came in on a Christensen sacrifice fly.
Conrad and Jones posted back-to-back one-out singles in the second inning as well but ended up stranded at second and third, respectively.
After both teams went down in order in the third inning, the Bulldogs plated three more in the fourth inning as Taylor scored on a Jones RBI single up the middle. Jones then scored on a Conrad fielder's choice. Conrad scored the final run on a Smith RBI double to right-center.
McPherson added two more runs in the fifth as
Ellis Woodruff (Princeton, Texas, Princeton HS) and Hires-Caulk scored on a Jones RBI single up the middle.
Jones went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored to cap a 10-for-13 day. All told, she drove in five, stole two bases and scored six times on the day. Conrad and Smith each added two hits.
Josie Bumgardner and Corrin Ziepke hit singles to right in the second and fourth innings, respectively, to account for Hastings' two baserunners.
Kyra McGuire struck out six in the loss for Hastings.
In addition to setting the single-game strikeout mark, Betker's 24 strikeouts Friday moved her career total to 222.
"It's amazing how well Christie threw today," said head coach
Ashley Hickman. "In the Graceland game, it seemed like all of a sudden we were through four innings and here she was with 11 strikeouts. Her final total might have been even higher [than 16] had the umpires given her the strike outside late that she had gotten earlier in the game, but it was still a great performance.
"Without a doubt, Jessie Jones had an unbelievable day at the plate," added Hickman. "She is the most versatile slapper we have. A lot of defenses come in and look at her and think she's going to bunt, and then she hits, or vice versa. Jenna Christensen also had some good solid contact today and, hopefully, that will be a confidence-builder for her moving forward.
McPherson concludes the tournament with two games Saturday afternoon against teams out of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs face Northwestern College (1-1) at 2 p.m., followed by a matchup with Midland University (3-2) at 4 p.m.
"I think the confidence we gained from today's outcomes really helps us out for tomorrow," Hickman noted. "We'll face two tough opponents who can hit and have good pitching. The biggest thing for us today was to remain positive."
