GREAT BEND, Kan. — The McPherson College Bulldogs played a lot of softball Thursday (May 4), knocking off the Bethany College Swedes 4-3 in a 17-inning marathon before falling to second-seeded Friends University 11-4 in Great Bend, Kan.
The Bulldogs got off to a hot start scoring two runs in the first inning, then pushed their lead to 3-0 in the third. But from there, errors started to pile on, allowing the Swedes to knot the game at three in the bottom of the seventh.
That score would hold over the next nine innings until the top of the 17th inning when Lauren Skinner reached on an infield single. Mackenzie Egan moved Skinner over with a sacrifice bunt, then Kassidy New broke the 3-3 gridlock with an RBI single.
Jordyn Johnson pitched the entire 17-inning game, throwing 247 pitches while allowing ten hits and striking out 12 batters and no earned runs.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the second game, then back-to-back walks by Alyvia Quintana and Amanda Ambrosy gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Friends tied the game in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Laila Spracklen that scored two runs, then a double by Carolyn Dallimore brought Spracklen in to put the Falcons on top.
The Bulldogs responded with two runs in the next half-inning, thanks to an error that brought Egan home, then an RBI single by Lacy Weaver made it a 4-3 Bulldog advantage.
From there, it was all Falcons as they scored eight unanswered runs to grab the 11-4 win.
The Bulldogs' season ends with a 21-21 record and a 12-12 mark in KCAC play.
