GREAT BEND, Kan. — The McPherson College Bulldogs walked it off in the bottom of the tenth inning to take down the Friends University Falcons 6-5 Thursday (May 4) in their first game at the KCAC Tournament in Great Bend, Kan.
After several back-and-forth innings, the Bulldogs trailed 5-3 heading into the eighth inning when Caleb Feuerstake trimmed the lead to 5-4 with his seventh home run of the season. Antonio Fernandez thought he had tied the ballgame in the next at-bat, rounding the bases after a home run, but the umpires converged to change the call to a foul ball.
Hayden Foster would eventually level the score, grounding out to the shortstop, bringing home Dawson Walters. The Bulldogs had runners on the corners with one out but were unable to grab the victory in regulation.
Drake Miller came on in the top of the tenth and putout three of the four batters he faced, including striking out Zeke Henson, to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the inning.
Caleb Feuerstake led off the extra inning with a walk, then stole second to advance into scoring position. Then a hard-hit ball by Fernandez to the second baseman brought Feuerstake around to walk it off.
Fernandez finished the day 3-for-5 at the plate, while Feuerstake had two hits and two RBIs. Tyler Norris threw four innings, allowing eight hits and three earned runs. Rob Schmidt came on in relief and threw 3.1 effective innings with three strikeouts while allowing just two hits.
The Bulldogs advance in the winner's bracket to take on fifth-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Great Bend Sports Complex.
