Salina, Kan. – The Bulldogs took the quick trip North on Tuesday, for some midweek action against the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes. The Bulldogs sought their third conference win after splitting their most recent series with Avila, while the Coyotes aimed to extend their win streak after winning seven consecutive.
The Basics
Location: Salina South High School Softball Fields
Records: MC 11-21 (KCAC 3-15), KWU 16-15 (KCAC 11-7)
Game One: MC 9, KWU 7
Game One of the doubleheader was all Bulldogs from the start. McPherson took a 1-0 lead in the second inning with Josie Sutley scoring on a groundout from Sidney Larrew.
The offense exploded in the third, adding four more runs to break things open. Emma Puebla sparked the inning with a single up the middle, moving Savannah Robles to third before she came around to score on a Coyotes error. Puebla followed on a groundout from Layla Towner, and Larrew capped off the big inning with a two-RBI triple to push the lead to 5-0.
McPherson kept the momentum rolling into the fourth. Puebla scored her second run of the game on an RBI double, followed by Towner who sent a two-run blast over the centerfield wall, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to a commanding 8-0.
Kansas Wesleyan finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth, putting up three runs on five hits to cut into the deficit. The Bulldogs responded right away, as Robles scored on a single down the right field line from Puebla to add an insurance run.
The Coyotes made things interesting late, using a pair of two-run home runs to pull within two. But the early cushion proved to be enough, as McPherson held on to secure a 9-7 win, their third conference win of the season.
Game Two: MC 5, KWU 7
Both teams got on the board early in the second game of the doubleheader. McPherson scored on a solo shot from Victoria Thornton, while Kansas Wesleyan answered on a wild pitch to even things up.
The Coyotes used a big second inning to take control, plating three runs behind a sacrifice fly and a Bulldogs throwing error to build a 4-1 lead.
McPherson responded in the third, as Thornton came around for her second run of the game on an RBI single from Justice Large. The Bulldogs chipped away again in the fourth, then surged ahead in the fifth when Larrew launched a two-run homer, scoring Thornton for the third time, to give McPherson a 5-4 advantage.
However, the Coyotes had the final say. Kansas Wesleyan strung together three runs in the sixth to regain the lead, and secure a 7-5 win over the Bulldogs.
