Photo by Jakob Komel
Leavenworth, Kan. – The McPherson College baseball team went on the road on Saturday for a three game series with the University of St. Mary Spires.
The Bulldogs, who have opened the 2021 season with 11 straight wins, made it 12 in a row with a 16-1 win in game one. The Bulldogs dominated the Spires in the series opener, pounding out 11 hits including five that went for extra bases. The two big hits were homeruns by Kyle Lux and Malik Bond.
Kris Perez and Trevor Johnson both had multi-hit games for the Bulldogs. Perez was 2 for 4 with four RBI, and a run scored while Johnson went 2 for 5 with a pair of doubles, and two RBI.
Alex Escobar got the start on the mound for the Bulldogs in game one, and continues to impress. He picked up is third win of the season, going six innings and allowing just one run on four hits.
The Bulldogs got things started with five runs in the top of the second inning. They added two more an inning later but were then held scoreless for the next two innings. The Spires finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, but in the next half inning, the Bulldogs blew the game wide open with nine more runs.
In game two, the Bulldogs' perfect season came to an end. The Spires were able to hold the Bulldogs' high powered offense to just five runs on seven hits. Six of the seven Bulldog hits were singles, with the lone extra base hit, a triple by Kyle Lux. Tyler Carrasco was the only Bulldog to record multiple hits. He went 2 for 3 with a pair of singles.
Blake Maddock was on the bump for the Bulldogs to start the game. He worked the first four innings allowing four runs on seven hits. He was replaced in the fifth by Jacob Gilcrease, who worked the next two innings in relief. He was tagged with one run on one hit. In the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs went to Darby Gilbert out of the pen. He had a pair of walks and gave up the winning run on one hit in one third of an inning of work.
St. Mary started the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first. The Bulldog took the lead in the top of the third with two runs in the inning. The Spires retook the lead in the next half inning with three more runs of their own. The Dogs tied the game at four with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but gave the lead right back in the bottom of the inning. Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, but the Bulldogs were able to push across another run in the top of the seventh to tie the game again. That set up a walk off situation for the Spires in the bottom of the seventh, and they did just that.
With the split, the Bulldogs are now 12-1 on the season, and 2-1 in KCAC play. They will finish up the series with USM tomorrow in a single 9 inning game starting at 1:00 pm. Â
