MANHATTAN, Kan. – McPherson High School Baseball closed the 2026 season with the win, defeating Paola in the 4A Third Place game 11-0 in a five-inning run-rule game at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan Friday morning.
McPherson’s “Tale of the Tape” suggested that they have been stellar all season long at reaching base and manufacturing runs with stolen bases. The notion held true on Friday, as the team won 11-0 with just three hits. The Bullpups walked 10 times, were hit by two pitches, and stole 15 bases in the win.
Four walks put hitters aboard for McPherson in the first inning, allowing them to reach the plate two times thanks to three passed balls. Paola then committed a pair of defensive errors in the second inning, helping McPherson score on a sacrifice fly by Brady Rinker to drive home Adrian Unruh, making the score 3-0 McPherson.
The floodgates then opened in the third inning, as McPherson put eight runs on the board in the frame. A hit-by-pitch put Cade Strathman aboard to lead off the inning. Asher Allen then attempted a sacrifice bunt, but a defensive error advance Allen to second and Strathman to the plate to make the score 4-0.
Cru Buchman, the starting pitcher for McPherson, delivered with an RBI triple in right field to make the score 5-0. Adrian Unruh then drove the run home to extend the lead, 6-0. McPherson then walked five times in a row, scoring three runs in the process. After hitting around, Buchman returned to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, hitting a two-run single to make the score 11-0. Cowen Huggard entered the game on the mound in the fourth inning, delivering a pair of shutout innings to end the game in run-rule fashion in the 5th inning, giving McPherson their second straight 3rd Place finish.
Two school records were broken during the contest. Junior Carter Bengtson scored two runs on the contest, giving him a total of 46 runs on the season, breaking the previous record of 44 set by Brody Seidl in 2025. McPherson also stole 11 bases in the game, giving them a total of 145 stolen bags on the season, the most by a team in school history. The previous record was 139, set in 2025.
McPherson’s 2026 squad loses just two seniors, Cowen Huggard and Cade Strathman. Huggard ended the season leading McPherson in RBI’s with 29. He finished with a .299 batting average and a .435 on-base percentage. On the mound, he finished with a 4-1 record with a 1.93 ERA and 39 strikeouts. Strathman hit .313 on the year with a team-high 3 home runs. He also finished with 24 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He pitched a stellar season with an 8-2 record, finishing with a 2.41 ERA and a team-high 57 strikeouts. Strathman will play baseball at Barton Community College as a two-way player.
McPherson’s season ends with a final record of 25-6.
