McPherson, Kan. – The Bulldogs were back at home on Friday to host the Avila University Eagles. McPherson needed to get their bats going after scoring just three runs over their previous four games, while Avila had just three conference losses in conference play.
The Basics:
Location: Bulldog Park
Records: MC 10-20 (KCAC 2-14), AU 23-14 (KCAC 12-4)
Game One: MC 9, AU 8
After a weather delay pushed things back, Game One finally got underway and it didn’t take long for the action to heat up. The Eagles struck first, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the opening inning behind a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly. McPherson wasted no time responding in the bottom half, as Victoria Thornton ripped a triple to bring home Savannah Robles, then later scored on a sacrifice fly from Justice Large to cut the deficit to 3-2 after one.
Avila added another run in the second, but the Bulldogs had an answer once again in the third. Thornton picked up her second RBI of the game before and later came around to score following an Avila error, knotting things up at 4-4.
The Eagles regained control in the fifth with two runs, then extended their lead to 7-4 in the sixth. McPherson chipped away in the bottom half, using a triple from Andrea Solis and an RBI single from Sidney Larrew to pull within one.
Avila added an insurance run in the seventh, looking to close things out, but the Bulldogs had other plans. Down to their final out, Larrew came through in the clutch, sending a ball through the left side to drive in two and tie the game at 8-8.
With the momentum fully on their side, McPherson wasn’t done yet. Mackenzie Birch stepped in next and battled to a 2-2 count before delivering on the sixth pitch of the at bat, driving home Large for a walk-off win.
Game Two: MC 0, AU 2
Game Two told a different story, as the Bulldogs were held off the board and limited to just two hits. The lone scoring came in the third inning, when the Eagles pushed across a pair of runs. First on a single through the infield, then on a well-executed sacrifice bunt to make it 2-0.
From there, both teams settled in defensively. Pitching took center stage over the final four innings, with the two sides combining to allow just a handful of hits.
In the end, those two runs in the third were all Avila needed, as the Bulldogs fell 2-0 in Game Two.
