Photo by Tyler Dunn
McPherson, Kan. – After an exciting weekend of baseball that included back to back wins in walk-off fashion in their final two games against Peru State, the McPherson College baseball team carried the excitement into their KCAC opener on Tuesday against the Tabor College Bluejays.
The Bulldogs made it three walk-offs in a row, defeating the Bluejays 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning. After leading for most of the game, the Bulldogs had to come from behind in the last three innings to secure the win.
The Bluejays sent their ace, and 2021 All-American, Austin Seidel, to the mound for the start, and the Bulldogs countered with Blake Maddock, who worked two innings in game two on Saturday against Peru State. Maddock pitched a superb game giving the Bulldogs five strong innings of one hit baseball, and giving up just one run. He fanned four and walked three, and was in line for his first win of the season, staked to a 6-1 lead when he left the game after the fifth. Unfortunately, he had to settle for another no decision as the Bulldog bullpen had some struggles in the seventh inning.
Rolando Fletes was first out of the pen, and got the Bulldogs through the sixth inning without much drama. In the seventh, things got interesting. Zach Reynolds came on and got the first two outs of the inning, but then struggled with his control. He hit a batter and walked two more and was lifted with the bases loaded. Nathan Ruble had the unenviable task of coming in with the bases loaded trying to get the final out. He walked the first batter he faced after a quality 2-2 pitch was called a ball by the home plate umpire.
The walk made it 6-2 and left the bases loaded. The next Tabor hitter took the first pitch he saw and sent it over the right center field fence for a grand slam, tying the game at 6. After the grand slam, Jacob Gilcrease came on, got the final out of the inning, but not before the Bluejays took the lead 7-6. He worked the eighth and ninth innings and when the Bulldogs walked it off in the bottom of the ninth, he was credited with the win.
Offensively, the Bulldogs pounded out 14 hits that included two doubles and a homerun. Five Bulldogs registered multiple hits in the game, led by a 3 for 4 performance from Noah Nelson, and Hunter Robinson. Nelson had the only homerun for the Bulldogs, a solo shot in the fourth inning, and Robinson had one of the two doubles, a pop up to the infield that the Bluejays couldn't make a play on allowing him to take second base unimpeded. Robinson also had the game winning single that drove in Joshua Fowler from third base. Nine of the Bulldog hits, and six of their runs came against Seidel, who was the pitcher of the year in the KCAC a season ago and an NAIA pre-season All-American.
After the Bulldogs surrendered the lead in the top of the seventh, all the wind was taken out of their sails. However, the energy returned in the next half inning. With one out, Jake Pearson was hit by a pitch and then advanced on a wild pitch. After the Bluejays recorded the second out of the inning, it looked like they were going to get out of the inning unscathed when Robison popped up to the infield. There was confusion amongst the Bluejay infielders, and the ball dropped between them allowing Pearson to score the tying run from second base.
Gilcrease was dealing in the eighth and ninth innings. In both frames, he set down the Bluejays in order giving his offense a shot at the game winner. In the Bulldogs' last at bat, Pearson got things going again with a one out single. Kevinn Castillo followed that up with another single putting runners at first and second. A passed ball by the Bluejay catcher moved the runners up 90 feet, putting the winning run at third base. Nelson was intentionally walked brining Robinson to the plate. He found a pitch he liked and sent it down the left field line brining in Fowler from third base.
Assistant Coach Chris Dawson commented on the win saying, "Always good to start conference with a win, especially against a good Tabor team. Our non-conference schedule prepared us to win games like this one. We were really good for 8 innings today. We had a tough inning in the 7th, but the guys responded well and finished strong to get the win. Maddock and Gilcrease were huge for us on the mound. The offense battled against an all-American and found a way to put together good at bats all day long. Hopefully, we will find a way to not have to win on a walk off but for now we will take it and enjoy it!"
With the win, the Bulldogs move to 11-4 on the season and 1-0 in KCAC play. They are back in action this weekend for a three game series on the road against Kansas Wesleyan University. They will play a single nine against the Coyotes on Friday at 3:00 pm then a double header on Saturday starting at 12:00.
Â
Â
