Photo by Jakob Komel
McPherson, Kan. – For the fourth time in as many series, the Bulldogs split a doubleheader with their opponent. This time it was at the friendly confines of Bulldog Park, and the opponent was Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles.
The Bulldogs fell in the series opener 3-2, but bounced back on the finale to salvage the series with a 4-1 win. Raegan Kleppe was in the circle and recorded another complete game, but was collared with the loss, dropping her record to 11-9 on the year. She pitched well again, but made two mistakes that resulted in a pair of homeruns for the Eagles. One a solo shot in the fourth inning and then a two run shot an inning later. She finished with three runs allowed on four hits, with eight strikeouts and three walks.
The Bulldog offense struggled in game one to give Kleppe the run support she needed. They got off to a good start, plating two runs in the bottom of the first, but then were shut out the rest of the way. They ended up with two runs on three hits with Amanda Ambrosy leading the charge with two of the three hits. The other hit was a double from Lacy Weaver that drove in the two Bulldog runs in the first inning.
In game two, the Bulldogs got off to another hot start, putting three runs on the board in the bottom of the first. They added an insurance run in the bottom of the third, then held on for a 4-1 win. The Eagles scored their only run of the game in the top of the seventh with one out and two more runners on, but the Bulldogs were able to regroup and hold the Eagles to just that single run.
The Bulldogs scored their four runs on six hits, led by Weaver who was 2 for 3 with a pair of singles and two runs scored. The Bulldogs had a pair of extra-base hits, a double from Summer Garcia that drove in one run, and a triple from Heidi Fischer.
Jordyn Johnson had one of her best games of the season in the circle for the Bulldogs. She picked up her 11th win of the year going seven innings and giving up just one run on three hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
Coach Segovia, who was coaching in his final regular season series, was honored before the game by ceremoniously throwing out the first pitch. He commented on the split saying, "Team played hard today! Proud of the effort. Just came up a little short in game 1. We bounced back in game 2 to finish the regular season on a good note. We will rest up and get back to work for the conference tournament next week!"
The Bulldogs wrap up the regular season with a 24-19 overall record, and a 16-8 mark in KCAC games. Next up is the KCAC tournament which is played in Great Bend May 4-6. Depending on what happens in a few of the series that are left to be played, the Bulldogs will land as either the #3, #4, or #5 seed. The conference will release the schedule in the next couple of days, and games and times will be posted on the softball schedule page on macbulldogs.com.
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