McPherson, Kan – In their final doubleheader of the season, the Bulldogs hosted the Hesston College Larks on Saturday to wrap up the 2026 campaign. Coming into this matchup, McPherson had put up a solid performance down in Wichita in their midweek matchup with the Friends University Falcons, splitting the doubleheader with the eventual No. 5 seed of the KCAC Softball Tournament.
The Basics
Location: McPherson Softball Field at Bulldog Park
Records: MC 17-26 (7-19 KCAC), HC 6-36
Game One: MC 8, HC 0 (6 innings)
It would take just six innings to decide a winner in Game One as the Bulldogs put up eight runs on 11 hits, limiting the larks to just one hit all day. For a while, it looked as if the Bulldogs were going to finish the ballgame with a combined no-hitter between three different McPherson pitchers, but Hesston’s Maddie Kulmala found the visitors’ lone hit in the top of the sixth with a leadoff single.
In just her second appearance of the season, Aubrey Huber earned her first win of the year after pitching the third and fourth inning for McPherson. In her perfect showing, she faced six batters and issued two strikeouts, forcing four ground outs. She followed Samantha Hollingsworth who started the ballgame for the Bulldogs and would have a similar stat line; two strikeouts and no walks, allowing zero hits in her two innings pitched.
Offensively, McPherson was led by Maddie Ramirez who batted in three of the Bulldogs’ eight runs. In the fourth inning, Ramirez drove in all three with one swing of the bat on a three-run double that lifted McPherson’s three-run lead to six over the Larks.
Makenzie Smithee batted in the final run of the fourth inning on an RBI single to right center field to drive in Ramirez for the 7-0 lead. The Bulldogs found their last run of the day in the bottom of the sixth. Despite being thrown out at first by the pitcher on a ground out, Zoey Christensen’s batted in Ariana Espinoza from third putting the run rule into effect. McPherson took Game One 8-0 in dominant fashion.
Game Two: MC 5, HC 2
McPherson opened up Game Two with three unanswered runs from the second through the fourth inning, scoring a single run in each inning for a 3-0 lead. Emma Puebla sparked the run with an RBI single to left center field, followed by Sidney Larrew’s RBI single in the third inning.
Mackenzie Smithee hit the only homerun of the day for either side in the fourth inning with a well-struck ball out to left center field; she was met with every Bulldog off the bench when she made her way home with it being just her fourth game played this season. Smithee actually finished the season with a .600 batting average (3-5) and five RBIs, proving to be effective in her plate appearances this season.
Hesston found their first run of the day in the fifth inning after Serena Hewes singled through the left side to bat in Mia Manzo. This run was matched by Andrea Solis’ RBI double in the bottom half of the inning to maintain a three-run lead over the Larks.
Skye Gomez’s sacrifice fly out to right field would score Bailey Symons in the top of the sixth inning, but this was the last run scored all day by the Larks. Emma Puebla managed one more run for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the sixth with a line drive to centerfield to bring home Justice Large for the 5-2 lead.
With two runners on the bags and Hesston’s tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh inning, Jezel Sisneros grounded out in the infield, giving McPherson their final victory of the year.
Keelee Kemp earned the final win of her career in the circle after pitching three innings, issuing three strikeouts and allowing just one run to score off of six hits across 15 at bats.
