McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) ---
Evan Willow (Victoria, B.C., Canada, Lambrick Park HS) hit a walk-off two-run single to give the McPherson College baseball team a 15-14 come-from-behind victory over Southwestern College Saturday afternoon in the opening game of a three-game Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) series at Bulldog Park.
McPherson (14-6, 3-4 KCAC) pounded out 20 hits, including six home runs, on another blustery day with sustained winds out of the south at 30 miles per hour.
Southwestern (8-5, 4-3 KCAC) grabbed the early lead when Joe Rankin blasted a solo home run to center in the top of the first inning. The Bulldogs responded immediately as leadoff hitter
Jackson Goodmiller (St. George, Kan., Rock Creek HS) deposited the first pitch he saw over the fence in left.
A solo home run by
Brevin Baessler (Tempe, Ariz., Western Nebraska CC) in the second inning gave McPherson the lead, but the Moundbuilders evened the score in the top of the third when Owen Breithaupt raced home on a wild pitch by McPherson starter Matthew Green.
The Bulldogs extended the lead to 11-3 with four runs in the fourth, four in the fifth and one more in the sixth. In the fourth,
Dominick Ramos (Fresno, Calif., Hartnell College) hit a two-run double down the left-field line, then came home on a
Mark Strebin (Westville, Ill., Danville Area CC) home run to left. Willow and Baessler clouted two-run home runs in the fifth and Goodmiller scored on a
Lane Fleming (Council Grove, Kan., Council Grove HS) RBI double in the sixth. The only Southwestern run in that stretch came on a Tyler Givens solo home run in the fifth inning.
The Moundbuilders capitalized as McPherson's pitching faltered in the seventh inning. Green got Breithaupt to pop out to open the frame but was lifted after walking Naotaka Fujiaeda. In all, Southwestern sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning, plating 10 runs on just three hits. The Moundbuilders also drew four walks, while Bulldog pitchers hit three other batters. The final stroke for Southwestern came off the bat of Rankin, who gave the 'Builders a 13-11 lead with a grand slam to left-center.
McPherson rallied to tie the game in the bottom half of the frame behind another two-run homer by Strebin.
Southwestern scratched ahead with a run in the top of the eighth. Bulldog reliever
Brett Carter (Sachse, Texas, Sachse HS) struck out the first two batters of the frame but then ran into trouble as Liam Whalen reached on a single through the right side. He moved around on a wild pitch, then scored on a Bryan Pacheco RBI single to left.
The Bulldogs nearly had a two-out rally of their own in their half of the frame. Dylan Fontenot singled up the middle, then moved to second on a walk by Baessler. A single by Ramos loaded the bases only to see all three runners stranded when Southwestern reliever Jorge Garcilazo struck out Strebin to end the frame.
The first two Moundbuilders reached in the ninth, but Carter was able to work out of the jam with a pair of fly-ball outs and a strikeout.
Pinch-hitter
Trevor Johnson (San Diego, Calif., Helix HS) led off the McPherson ninth with a double to shallow center field. He was replaced by
Hunter Dreiling (Goddard, Kan., Eisenhower HS), who came around to tie the game on a single down the left-field line by Goodmiller.
Trevor Haycock (New Iberia, La., New Iberia Sr. HS) reached on a bunt single to put runners at first and second. Willow followed two batters later with a single to left field that plated Goodmiller for the winning run.
Seven Bulldogs finished with multiple hits, including Willow and Fontenot with three apiece. Willow and Baessler each drove in three, while Strebin finished with a team-high four RBIs.
Rankin led Southwestern with three hits and five RBIs. He also drew two walks. Givens and Pacheco also had two hits.
Green struck out 10 over 6 1/3 innings but did not factor into the pitching decision. Carter picked up the win, allowing just one run on three hits and a pair of walks in two innings while striking out four.
Garcilazo took the loss, allowing two runs on four hits in 2/3 of an inning.
The second game of the doubleheader was suspended due to darkness with McPherson leading 12-10 after five complete innings and will be resumed at the point of interruption at noon Sunday afternoon. Sunday's regularly-scheduled 9-inning game will follow.
