LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — The McPherson College Bulldogs offense exploded for nine runs in the opener but fell in game two to split with the York University Panthers Tuesday afternoon (Mar. 18) in York, Neb.
GAME ONE – Saint Mary 5, McPherson 1
Savannah Robles led off the game with a single to right field, then advanced to second on a Spire error. The Bulldogs continued to click offensively in the first inning, when Melaney Granados singled home Robles to put MC on top 1-0.
However, momentum shifted quickly in favor of the Spires, who took a 2-1 lead in the next half-inning on a pair of RBI singles. Jessica Strandlund knotted the score with an RBI single finding the gap in right-centerfield, then scored later in the inning on an infield base hit by Brooke Gerling.
The Bulldogs' starting pitcher Samantha Hollingsworth settled in after that, allowing just one baserunner over the next three hitless innings to keep MC within striking distance.
But the Spires were able to add one more in the fifth on another RBI single by Strandlund, the pushed two across in the sixth.
The Bulldogs scored just one run on eight hits, led by Granados two-hit game.
GAME TWO – Saint Mary 7, McPherson 5
The nightcap was a back-and-forth affair, but this time it was the Spires who took an early 1-0 lead. Again, it was Strandlund driving in her third run of the afternoon, singling home Alexis McDaniel in the bottom of the first.
But unlike in game one, the Bulldogs responded, leveling the score in the next half-inning thanks to an RBI double by Alivia Lange, driving in Sidney Larrew who reached on a leadoff single to left field.
The Spires would again take a one-run lead in the bottom of the second inning on a sacrifice fly by McDaniel, but the Bulldogs again had an answer when Larrew drove home Karisa Hernandez.
The floodgates opened in the bottom of the fourth, when the Spires scored three runs to take a 5-2 lead, then USM added two more in the sixth to take complete control.
MC had an opportunity in the seventh, as the first three batters reached safely. Ashanti Thompson led off the inning with a single to left field, then came around to score thanks to a double by pinch hitter Justice Large. Robles followed suit with an infield single to place runners on the corners.
A sacrifice fly by Hernandez pulled the Bulldogs within 7-4, then an RBI single by Layla Towner drove in Robles.
However, with the bases loaded and two outs, pinch-hitter Anna Salazar grounded out to second base to end the game.
MC finished with 11 hits, five of which came in the seventh inning. Lange led the way with three hits in game two, while Larrew added a pair.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs remain on the road for a mid-week matchup against Sterling College on Tuesday (Mar. 25). First pitch in Sterling is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
