Lindsborg, Kan. – The McPherson College baseball team completed a three game of intra-county rival Bethany College on Sunday and Monday. The Bulldogs took games one and two on Sunday then finished off the Swedes on Monday. In all, they out-scored their rivals from up north, 32-7.
The closest game of the series came in the opener. The Bulldogs took game one 8-3 behind the strong arm of Alex Escobar who got the start for the Bulldogs on the bump. Escobar picked up his team high fifth win of the season, going seven innings and giving up two runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Offensively, the Bulldogs scored eight runs on eight hits, led by Jake Pearson and Gage Ninness who both had multiple hits in the game. Ninness was 2 for 5 with 5 RBI, four of them coming off of a grand slam in the fourth inning. Pearson was 3 for 5 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI.
It was 1-1 through three innings when Ninness broke the game open with his grand slam in the fourth, making the score 5-1. Over the final five innings, the Bulldogs added three more runs and the Swedes two, making the final score 8-3.
In game two, a seven inning game, the Bulldogs scored 11 runs on only five hits. They got quite a bit of help from the Swedes pitchers, who walked eight Bulldog hitters, and hit five others with a pitch, and from the Swedes' defense who committed five errors. Caleb Feuerstake led the Bulldog offense with a 2 for 4 performance that included a triple, three runs scored, and one RBI.
Julio Acosta picked up his first win of the season on the hill for the Bulldogs. He was brilliant in his four innings of work, holding the Swedes to just one run on one hit with three strikeouts.
The Bulldogs never trailed in game two. They led 4-0 through two and a half innings. The Swedes got on the board in the bottom of the third, but then the Bulldogs scored seven unanswered run, five of them in the fourth inning, to win in a rout, 11-1.
With the series won, the Bulldogs returned to the diamond on Monday looking for a sweep. The Bulldogs got off to a strong start with a pair of runs in the top of the first. The Swedes cut the deficit in half in their half of the first, and then both teams went on a two inning scoring drought. In the top of the fourth, the Bulldogs found the scoring column again with three runs, and then added two more in the top of the fifth on a two run homerun over the 405 sign in center field, off the bat of James Canar. The Bulldogs put the Swedes to bed with six more runs in the seventh. The Swedes got a token run in the bottom of the seventh making the final score 13-2.
The Bulldogs got another masterful pitching performance from their starter. This time it was Blake Maddock who picked up his first win of the season, pitching six innings and giving up just one run on five hits with five punch-outs, and one walk.
The Bulldog offense scored 13 runs on 11 hits, six of them coming off of the bats of Ninness, Pearson, and Kevinn Castillo. Ninness and Canar led the team in RBI, each recording three.
Coach MacKinnon was pleased with the Bulldogs' performance saying, "This was probably our most complete weekend thus far. On the mound we were led by outstanding starts from Escobar, Acosta and Maddock. They really set the tone and allowed our defense to work, which they did all weekend. Foster was a rock at SS all weekend. Offensively we returned to 2021 form with scoring in bunches and taking advantage of their mistakes, something we look to carry forward."
With the win, the Bulldogs are 17-5 overall, and 7-1 in the KCAC, tied for first in the standings with the Ottawa Braves. They will be back in action on Tuesday in a single nine inning game at Bulldog Park against crosstown rival Central Christian College. First pitch with the Tigers is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
