Sterling, Kan. – The McPherson College Baseball team put on an offensive display on Tuesday, defeating the Sterling College Warriors 21-1, on the road.
Thirteen of the 15 Bulldogs who came to the plate against the Warriors recorded a hit, and six of those 13 had two or more hits. Nine of the 21 Bulldog hits went for extra bases including three doubles, a triple and five homeruns. Gage Ninness and Hayden Foster led the team in hits, each recording three. The three doubles came off the bats of Trevor Johnson, Jake Pearson, and Hunter Robinson. The triple came from an unlikely source, catcher Tony Hyrnkiw. Known for being one of the nicest people on the planet, but not necessarily for his speed. However, he hit the ball to the deepest part of the park and motored around the bases sliding head first, safely into third.
The five homeruns are the third most the Bulldogs have hit in a single game this season. Four Bulldogs got in on the long ball action including two from Caleb Feuerstake and one from James Canar, Andres Artola, and Foster. In all three games with the Warriors this season, the Bulldogs totaled 14 homeruns, the most by far in any three game series this season.
The Bulldogs used three pitchers, each working at least two innings. Alex Amaral got the start and the win working the first two and two-thirds innings. He gave up the only run of the game on two hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Zach Reynolds came out of the pen and worked the next two and a third. He held the Warriors hitless and scoreless with a pair of punch-outs. Liam Spaw worked the final two innings scattering two hits while keeping the Warriors off the board.
Coach MacKinnon summed up the day and the series saying, "Another complete showing from our guys today. Wrapping up another series with a statement really sets us up well for the final two conference series. I thought we were solid in all three phases of the game, and we got to test our depth out a bit both from a position stand point and on the mound. Looking forward to seeing what these guys can accomplish over these last six games."
The win puts the Bulldogs at 33-9 overall, and 22-5 in the KCAC. They are scheduled to be back on the diamond this weekend, going on the road for a three game series Saturday and Sunday in Winfield, Kansas against the Southwestern College Moundbuilders.
