Photo by Jakob Komel
Ottawa, Kan. – The McPherson College baseball team picked up a couple of key conference win on the road at Ottawa University on Thursday. The Bulldogs swept the Braves, moving to 16-1 overall, and 6-1 in KCAC play.
Thursday was one of those days where the Bulldogs had to grind out a couple of wins. The high powered Bulldog offense, that has been averaging 11.6 runs per game was held to just six in the two games on Thursday.
McPherson was outhit 9 to 4 in the opening game of the season, but still managed to win 4-3. All four Bulldog hits were singles, but they came at opportune times. The Bulldogs got three runs in the second inning with a little help from a Braves error, then added their fourth in the top of the sixth. Ottawa got on the board with run in the seventh, then added two more in the bottom of the ninth to cut the lead to one. Fortunately for the Bulldogs the Braves' rally stalled and they were able to escape with 4-3 win.
Alex Escobar picked up the win and moved to 5-0 on the season. He went seven innings allowing just one run on six hits with eight strikeouts. Blake Maddock, came out of the pen in the eighth inning and picked up a six out save.
There was even less offense in the second game, and all of it happened in the first inning. The Bulldogs put up two runs in the top of the first and then held on for a 2-0 win. Zach Perkins got the start, and picked up the win. He went six and a third, shutting out the Braves on three hits with six strikeouts. Jacob Gilcrease came on with one out in the seventh to close things out. He retired both hitters he faced, one on a strikeout, to pick up the save.
The Bulldogs scored two runs on five hits. Three of the hits were singles, the other two were doubles by Kyle Lux and Hunter Robinson. Lux was the majority of the offense for the Bulldogs, recording three of the five team hits.
The Bulldogs and Braves were scheduled to play three games this weekend. They will try and get the third game of the series in either Saturday and Sunday is there is a window in the rain that has been forecasted. Stay tuned to www.macbulldogs.com for changes to the schedule.
