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Box Score 3 Photo by Jakob Komel
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College baseball had a rough start to the weekend, but it ended on a high note. The Bulldogs hosted the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes for a three game series at Bulldog Park.
The series started with a doubleheader on Saturday, and wrapped up with a single 9 inning game this afternoon. Saturday was a rough day for the Bulldogs. They dropped both games of the double header, struggling to get anything going offensively.
In the series opener, the Bulldogs led the Coyotes 2-1 through five innings, but the game got out of hand starting in the sixth inning. The Coyotes scored two in the sixth, three in the seventh, three more in the eighth, and two in the ninth to break the game open. They wound up taking game one from the Bulldogs 11-3.
Alex Escobar was on the bump for the Bulldogs in game one and collared the loss. He went six innings allowing three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and no walks. When Escobar left the Bulldogs were still within striking distance, but the bullpen was unable to hold the Coyotes. Drake Miller gave up six runs on five hits in two innings of work. Isaiah Vasquez gave up two runs on one hit and failed to record an out. Jake Herman pitched the final inning, holding the Coyotes scoreless on just one hit.
Offensively, the Bulldogs scored three runs on just five hits, three of those hits being doubles. Five different Bulldogs recorded hits, led by Tyler Wood, and Giovanni Ramirez, who both went 1 for 2 with a double.
In the second game, the Bulldogs got a few more hits, but the number of runs remained the same. They scored three runs on nine hits, led by James Canar and Malik Bond. Both finished the game going 2 for 4, bond had a pair of singles, and Canar finished with a triple and a homerun.Â
Tyler Norris got the start on the mound for the Bulldogs in game two. Except for one bad inning, he really pitched well. He went four and a third, allowing four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks.
The one bad inning for Norris came in the fourth. The Coyotes scored four runs, their only runs of the game, on one swing of the bat. Charles Munns came out of the pen in relief of Norris with one out in the fourth. He went the rest of the way, holding the Coyotes scoreless on two hits, with six strikeouts and two walks.
The Bulldogs led the Coyotes 2-0 until the grand slam in the fourth. Canar hit his homerun with two outs in the seventh, but unfortunately that is where the rally stalled, and the Coyotes were able to hang on for the win 4-3. The highlight of the game for the Bulldogs, despite the loss was the homerun for Canar. It was his 17th of the season, setting a new records for homeruns in a season.
After struggling mightily on Saturday, the Bulldogs were eager to get back on the diamond on Sunday for a chance at redemption. The wind changed direction and was blowing over 20 mph straight out to left field. The Bulldogs made the most of the conditions, scoring 24 runs on 28 hits.
It was a tough day for the pitchers. There were 42 combined hits and over half of those (23) went for extra bases. There were six doubles, two triples, and 15 homeruns hit in the series finale. Ten of those 15 homeruns came off of Bulldog bats, setting a new Bulldog record for homeruns in a game. The previous record was nine.
Nine different Bulldogs recorded a hit, and all nine had a multi-hit game. Jonah Shabry led the way for the Bulldogs, going 5 for 7 with a double, and two runs scored. Hunter Robinson was next, going 4 for 6 with a pair of singles, and two homeruns. Five Bulldogs had three hits in the game including Jake Pearson, who was 3 for 6 with two homeruns, James Canar, 3 for 6 with two homeruns and a triple, Kyle Lux, 3 for 5, who was a triple shy of the cycle, Noah Nelson, 3 for 5 with two doubles and a homerun, and Tyler Wood, 3 for 5 with three singles, and three runs scored. Malik Bond went 2 for 5 with both of his hits leaving the yard in a hurry and Trevor Johnson was also 2 for 5 with a single and a double. When the smoke cleared out at Bulldog Park, the Bulldogs had salvaged the series, run ruling the Coyotes in eight innings, 24-14.
The Bulldogs also reached another milestone as a team on Sunday. When Pearson hit his second homerun of the day in the bottom of the 7th inning, it was the 100th bomb on the season for the Bulldogs. It is the first time in program history that the team has recorded 100 homeruns in a single season. The previous high was 54 back in 2018.
Coach Moses summed up the weekend saying, "We were outplayed this weekend, and it may have cost us a chance at two seed in the tournament. Next weekend will be very interesting considering the tournament starts the following Wednesday. We will be keeping tabs on all other teams."
After the weekend, the Bulldogs are now 33-9 overall, and 21-9 in KCAC play. They have one more regular season series next weekend against intra-county rival Bethany College. The Bulldogs and Swedes will play a doubleheader next Saturday at Bulldog Park starting at 12:00 pm, followed by a single 9 on Sunday at 1:00 pm. On Sunday, the Bulldogs will honor their 14 seniors.
