Photo by Natalia Ahrens
Kansas City, Mo. – The McPherson College softball team picked up two huge wins on Saturday, going on the road and defeating the Avila University Eagles. The Bulldogs won both games, by an identical score of 5-3, coming from behind in each contest.
Raegan Kleppe picked up the win for the Bulldogs in the circle in game one. She went the distance, allowing three runs on seven hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. She outdueled the Eagles' ace, Madison McKinney who gave up five runs on seven hits with six strikeout and two walks.
The Eagles took an early 1-0 lead, scoring in their first at bat. In the top of the 2nd, the Bulldog took the lead with a pair of runs. The Eagles tied the game at two, with another solo run in the bottom of the 3rd, then retook the lead, adding a run in the 5th. In the final two innings, the Bulldogs shutout the Eagles while retaking the lead with two runs in the 6th, and another insurance run in the 7th.
The Bulldogs' offense went through Kylecia Taylor, Maile Deutsch, and Jenna Christensen. Taylor had the only multi-hit game going 2 for 4 with a double, a run scored, and another driven in, but Deutsch and Christensen had the big hits, each hitting a two run homerun.
The first three and a half innings of game two were uneventful. Neither team was able to crack the scoreboard, and there were just five hits between the two. In the bottom of the 4th, the Eagles broke the stalemate, taking a 2-0 lead. In the next half inning, the Bulldogs tied the game with a pair of runs of their own. In the bottom of the 5th, the Eagles retook the lead 3-2, and they held it until the 7th inning.
In the Bulldogs half of the 7th, they retook the lead putting up three runs on two hits. They got some help from the Eagles by way of a wild pitch on a strikeout, and a walk. With all three bases occupied by Bulldog runners, Deutsch came through in the clutch, hitting a bases clearing double, giving the Bulldogs the lead, and ultimately the win.Â
Destiny Bacon, led the offense in game two. She finished the game going 2 for 3 with an RBI. Deutsch's double in the 7th was the only extra base hit for the Bulldogs, and she led the team with three RBI.
Brittany Baroni got the start in the circle for the Bulldogs in the finale. She worked the first four innings, but didn't factor into the decision. Her stat line included three runs on four hits with two walks. Shelby Bonn came out the bullpen in the fifth inning. She pitched the 5th and 6th innings, holding the Eagles scoreless on three hits. When the Bulldogs retook the lead in the 7th, MC brought back Kleppe to finish things off. She picked up the save, setting the Eagles down in order. Bonn was credited with the win.
"I am very proud of how hard these kids played today," commented Coach Segovia. "We got down a couple of times and battled back against a very good team." He went on to add, "It is always hard to go on the road in conference play and get two wins. The energy in the dugout was amazing and it was a complete team win today. We will go back to work and get ready for Tuesday!"
 With the wins, the Bulldogs are now 21-15 overall, 14-8 in the KCAC, and find themselves fifth in the conference standings. They will wrap up the regular season with a road trip to Bartlesville, Oklahoma on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will square off against the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles in a doubleheader starting at 2:00 pm.
