The Long Ball Fuels Bulldogs' Win Over KWU

Photo by Micah Gilbert

McPherson, Kan. – On Wednesday, the McPherson College baseball team opened up KCAC play at home, starting a three game series with the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes. The game was played at Bulldog Park though the Bulldogs were actually the visiting team on the scoreboard. The game was a home game for the Coyotes but was played in McPherson because field in Salina was not game ready.

Though it was a little strange being announced as the visitors and batting first on their home field, it didn't seem to faze the Bulldogs. They went about their business and picked up the win over the Coyotes 9-3. Both teams sent their "ace" to the hill for the start. For the Coyotes it was Jakob Sandoval, who was the KCAC pitcher of the week last week, and for the Bulldogs it was Garrett Ham (Jr. Albuquerque, N.M.). Neither pitcher factored in the decision, but both had similar stat lines.

For Ham, he worked the first six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits, both of them earned, with four strikeouts and just one walk. When he left after the sixth, he was staked to a 3-2 lead, but when the Coyotes tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, he ended up with a no decision. Josh Lewis (So. Loveland, Colo.), came on in relief of Ham in the seventh. His stat line included two innings of work, one run, on two hits with one strikeout and zero walks. He gave up the tying run to the Coyotes in the seventh, but when the Bulldogs retook the lead in the top of the eighth, he ended up with the win. With a six run lead, the Bulldogs brought in Tyler Dunn (So. Lawton, Okla.), to finish out the game. He worked the final inning, facing four hitters, and allowing no runs on no hits, with a pair of k's.

At the plate, the Bulldogs hitters feasted on Coyote pitching. They pushed across nine runs on fifteen hits six walks. Six of their hits went for extra bases including three doubles and three homeruns. Three Bulldogs recorded multiple hits led by a monster day from shortstop Mark Strebin (Sr. Westville, Ill.), who went 4 for 5, with three singles and a grand slam, finishing with four RBI and a run scored. Kristopher Perez (Jr. Miramar, Fla.), and Dominick Ramos (Sr. Fresno, Calif.), both had a multi-hit game, each going 2 for 4. Each had an extra base hit as well. Ramos' was a double while Perez hit a homerun on the second pitch of the game.

Perez gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead with his homerun in the top of the first. They added a second run in the second when Hunter Dreiling (Jr. Goddard, Kan.) scored on a single by Jakob Shields (Jr. DeSoto, Kan.). They added a third run in the top of the fifth, but then gave two back to the Coyotes in the bottom half of the frame. The Coyotes tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, but the Bulldogs retook the lead a half inning later on a solo shot by Brevin Baessler (Sr. Gilbert, Ariz.). In the top of the ninth, the Bulldogs broke the game open.

McCoy Pearce (Jr. Kamloops, B.C.) started the inning off with a double, then scored when Lane Fleming (Sr. Council Grove, Kan.), drove him in with a single. The Bulldogs then loaded the bases with back to back walks to Jackson Goodmiller (Sr. St. George, Kan.) and Ramos. That set up Strebin who lofted a ball up into the jet stream, on an 0-1 count, and the south wind carried the ball over the left field fence, putting his team ahead 9-3. That would end up being the margin of victory as the Coyotes were held scoreless in their final at bat.

Bulldog head coach, Bryan Moses, liked the effort from his starting pitcher saying, "Great job by Garrett Ham coming off 3 days rest. I thought this was his best outing so far." He also lauded the hitting of Strebin adding, " Mark Strebin was a huge help for the DOGS with the bat."
 
The win was the Bulldogs' fourth in a row, and they are now 6-3 on the season and 1-0 in KCAC play. They will put that win streak on the line tomorrow when they square off against the Coyotes again at Bulldog Park in a double header starting at 11:00 am.