McPHERSON, Kan. (MacBulldogs.com) — The McPherson College Bulldogs hit five home runs to grab an 11-9 win over the top-seeded Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes and advance to the next round of the KCAC Tournament in Great Bend, Kan.
“Post season baseball!” head coach Chris Dawson said. “Offense came swinging, and we put up enough zeros to give us a chance. Then Carpenter came in and continued to be dominant. We were able to do just enough to pick up the win. Looking forward to coming out tomorrow for a chance to go to the championship.”
The Bulldogs scored 11 runs on 11 hits, led by Andres Artola and Dawson Walters with three hits apiece. Artola drove in a team-best three runs, thanks to a pair of home runs.
Jameson Caro provided four solid innings for the Bulldogs, striking out six batters while allowing just two earned runs on eight hits.
Playing as the visitors, the Coyotes grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but an RBI double by Artola followed by a two-run blast by Walters gave MC a 3-2 advantage.
Jace Essig pushed the Bulldogs lead to 4-2 with a solo blast, his fourth in the last five games.
But the Coyotes showed why they were the KCAC regular season champions, adding three runs in the third to pull ahead 5-4.
However, that’s when the Bulldogs offense took over. A leadoff homer by Artola in the top of the third knotted the score, then Kevinn Castillo joined the party with a two-run shot.
Noah Carpenter came on in relief in the fifth, and picked up right where he left off last weekend, striking out three batters in three scoreless innings.
A two-run single by Luke Nordean in the fifth pushed the Bulldog lead to 9-5 then Jace Essig made it a 10-5 MC edge, scoring on an error by the Coyote first baseman.
The Bulldogs final run of the game came in the form of Artola’s second homer of the game, making it an 11-5 lead.
Kansas Wesleyan wouldn’t go quietly though, scoring three in the eighth and one in the ninth to pull within two. But Ethan Alexander iced the game forcing a ground out to Hayden Foster.
With the win, the Bulldogs are now in the driver’s seat, needing just one more win to advance to the KCAC championship game. MC will await the winner between Kansas Wesleyan and Evangel. First pitch is scheduled for Saturday (May 4) at 6:45 p.m.
