McPherson, Kan. – For the third series in a row, the McPherson College softball team split a pair of games with their opponent. This time the games were at home against the Avila University Eagles.
The Bulldogs pulled out a 2-1 win in the series opener, with Raegan Kleppe pitching another gem in the circle. Â She went the distance giving up the lone run on four hits with 11 strikeouts and just one free pass.
The offense did enough to outlast the Eagles, scoring two runs on nine hits, with two of them going for extra bases. The Bulldogs were paced by Lacy Weaver, Summer Garcia and Amanda Ambrosy who all went 2 for 3 from the dish.
The Bulldogs scored a run in each of the first two innings and then were shut out the rest of the way. The Eagles got on the board and cut the deficit in half on a homerun in the top of the fourth.
In the second game Avila jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Bulldogs cut the lead in half in the bottom of the frame. Avila made it 5-2 with a run in the top of the second, but the Bulldogs responded with five of their own in the bottom of the second to take the lead, 7-5. The score would remain the same for two more innings, before the Eagles broke the game open with five runs in the top of the fifth, and three more in the sixth. The Bulldogs managed just one more run, and ultimately fell to the Eagles 13-8.
Jordyn Johnson was in the circle and was shackled with the loss, dropping her to 10-9 on the year. She went the first five innings, allowing 10 runs on 15 hits, including two homeruns, with six strikeouts and one walk. Kleppe came back in and worked the final two innings. She gave up three runs, one of which left the yard, on four hits with one strikeout.
Offensively, the Bulldogs scored their eight runs on 14 hits, four of them extra base hits. Sierra Cortez, Molly Booker, Ellis Woodruff, Nichole Martinez, and Weaver all had two hits in game two. Martinez was a perfect 2 for 2 with a double, a walk, and two RBI.
After game two, the Bulldogs honored five players, Ellis Woodruff, Macee Hollins, Molly Booker, Brandy Trengove, and Heidi Fischer, who will all graduate in May.
Coach Segovia wrapped up the day by saying, "Senior Day is always special. We thank them for everything they have done for us and we know they will do great things in there next phase in life. We will enjoy the rest of this special day and get back to work for the regular season finally!"
 The Bulldogs are now 23-18 overall, and 15-7 in KCAC and are currently tied with Kansas Wesleyan for 3rd in the conference standings. They will wrap up the regular season on Tuesday when they host the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles in a doubleheader, slated to start at 2:00 pm.
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