KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The McPherson College Bulldogs fell in a pair of hard-fought games Sunday (Apr. 6) to the Avila University Eagles in Kansas City, snapping a four-game winning streak.
GAME ONE – Avila 4, McPherson 2
MC finished with twice as many hits as the Eagles but were unable to bring those base runners around to score. Six of the Bulldogs eight hits came in the final three innings.
The Eagles grabbed a 2-0 lead with a solo homer by Abi Beaman in the second and an RBI single by Julia Douglass in the third.
McPherson finally broke through in the fifth when Alexandrea Garcia led the inning off with an infield single. A base hit by Samantha Hollingsworth followed by a walk by Victoria Thornton loaded the bases with no outs, then Savannah Robles drove in two runs with a single to left field, tying the game at 2-2.
Avila matched that in the bottom of the fifth, getting one on a sacrifice fly by Douglass and benefiting from a Bulldog error.
The Bulldogs had an opportunity in the sixth, after Garcia hit a two-out double, but Hollingsworth was unable to bring her around. Another prime scoring chance came in the top of the seventh when the Bulldogs had runners on first and second with one down, but a pop out to third base and a fly out to left field closed out the game.
Robles finished the opener with three hits, while Garcia added two. Hollingsworth was outstanding again in the circle for the Bulldogs, allowing two earned runs and just four hits in six innings of work.
GAME TWO – Avila 5, McPherson 3
Much like the opener, base runners were hard to come by for the Bulldogs in the nightcap, as Avila held them to just two hits through the first five innings.
Again, the Eagles grabbed the first lead of the game, this time it was a 4-0 advantage in the third frame.
MC's offense awakened in the sixth when a pair of singles by Layla Towner and Karisa Hernandez set the stage for a three-run blast by Melaney Granados to pull the Bulldogs within 4-3.
However, an RBI double by Stephanie Hayes added an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning. MC had one last chance in the seventh after a leadoff single by Garcia gave them a base runner, but they were unable to find the equalizer.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will return to Bulldog Park for the first of three straight home doubleheaders Tuesday (Apr. 8), hosting Kansas Wesleyan. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
