Bartlesville, Okla. – The McPherson College baseball team dropped all three games of their weekend series with the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles. It was a well-played series between two top 25 teams, but the Bulldogs were unable to find a way to get over the hump against the Eagles.
There was not a ton of offense in the series. Both teams combined for a total of 22 runs in the three games. In the opener, the Bulldogs fell to the Eagles 5-1, with the lone Bulldog run coming off of a solo homerun by Trevor Johnson in the top of the first inning. The Bulldogs had seven more hits in the game but were unable to get any more with runners in scoring position.
Alex Escobar got the start on the mound for the Bulldogs, and was collared with his first loss of the season. He pitched seven innings allowing five runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and no walks. Drake Miller came on in relief of Escobar, working the eighth inning. He faced four hitters, striking out two and walking one.
The final two games of the series were decided by a single run in each game. Game two was a pitchers' duel with the Bulldog coming out on the losing end 3-2. The Bulldogs handed the ball to Blake Maddock in game two and he threw five innings. He allowed just two runs on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks. The Bulldogs went to the pen in the sixth inning, bringing in Jacob Gilcrease. He was credited with a an inning and two-thirds worth of work allowing one run on one hit with three strikeouts and two walks. The Eagles scored on a walk-off single, giving Gilcrease the loss.
Offensively, the Bulldogs scored two runs on four hits. Two of the hits went for extra bases, a double by Jake Perason, and a homerun by Kyle Lux. The other two hits were singles by Kris Perez and Tyler Carrasco.
The series finale was another tight affair that went back and forth. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second, but the Eagles tied the game a half inning later. In the fourth, the Bulldogs took the lead again 5-3, only to see the Eagles retake the lead an inning and a half later when they put up a three spot in the bottom of the sixth. The Bulldogs were unable to rally in the final three innings, and the Eagles escaped with a 6-5 win.
Tyler Norris was on the bump for the Bulldogs and went five innings, allowing three runs on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Leading 5-3, the Bulldogs went to the pen in the sixth inning, calling on Zach Reynolds. Reynolds worked the sixth inning giving up the lead on three runs and recording three strikeouts and one walk. The final two innings saw Zach Perkins on the mound. He held the Eagles scoreless on one hit with one walk. Reynolds was ultimately credited with the loss.
The Bulldog offense in game three was led by Kris Perez who was 2 for 5 with a double and one RBI. Malik Bond had the only other extra base hit for the Bulldogs, a double that drove in two Bulldog runners.
"Losing two games by one run to the top team in the conference is a tough pill to swallow," commented Bulldog skipper Bryan Moses. "We did all we could, Oklahoma Wesleyan is a really good team. They are well coached, and they have proven to be the best team in the conference up until this point."
The Bulldogs will try and regroup this week. They will go on the road on Tuesday to take on the Sterling College Warriors, then will be back at home on the weekend when they play a three game series with the York College Panthers.
