McPHERSON, Kan. (MacBulldogs.com) — The McPherson College Bulldogs played a pair of Spring Break series’ traveling to Hillsboro to take on Tabor College Tuesday (Mar. 12) before hosting the Newman University Jets at Bulldog Park Thursday (Mar. 14).
TABOR GAME ONE – MC 5, TC 3
The Bulldogs took 2-0 lead in the second inning of the opener Tuesday, when Alexandrea Garcia scored on a wild pitch then an RBI single by Megan Wright brought Alyvia Quintana home.
But the Bluejays had an answer in the next half inning, leveling the score on a double by Laura Savage.
MC regained the lead in the top of the third, and would never trail again. A sacrifice fly by Garcia brought Karisa Hernandez home to make it a 3-2 Bulldog advantage. An RBI single by Tatyana Alvarado in the fifth pushed the lead to 4-2.
The Bluejays cut into that lead with one run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Bulldogs answered with a single by Andrea Solis, scoring Rowdy New.
Jordyn Johnson got the start in the circle for the Bulldogs, and threw another complete game with two strikeouts.
Alvarado finished 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI, while New, Solis, and Kaitlyn Sarsfield each had two hits.
TABOR GAME TWO – TC 13, MC 12
In game two, it was the Bluejays who jumped out to a lead in the second inning, scoring five runs, after loading the bases. But the Bulldogs matched in the next half inning, thanks to an RBI single by Hernandez and a two-run blast by Garcia.
The Bluejays added four more in the fifth to take a 9-5 lead, but a seven-run seventh inning by the Bulldogs put them on top, needing just three outs to complete the sweep.
New led off the inning with a single before coming around to score on a double by Quintana, then an RBI single by Sarsfield pulled the Bulldogs within one. Wright kept the inning going with an RBI single. A single by Alvarado with the bases loaded made it a 10-9 Bluejay advantage, before a bases-clearing double by New put MC on top 12-10.
But from there, the Bluejays would score three in the bottom of the inning to grab the win.
The Bulldogs scored 12 runs on 16 hits, including a pair of doubles by Quintana, and a home run by Garcia.
NEWMAN GAME ONE – NU 6, MC 4
The Bulldogs got off to a hot start in the opener Thursday, when Garcia doubled to centerfield in the first inning, bringing Alvarado and Hernandez around to score. Then, a sacrifice fly by Quintana made it a 3-0 Bulldog advantage.
But the Jets’ offense took over in the fifth inning when Gianna Navarro reached on an error, allowing Kayla Lopez to score. Haley Bonython followed with a grand slam, then AJ Borja pushed Newman’s lead to 6-3 with a solo homer.
Garcia pulled MC within 6-4 a solo homer, but the Bulldogs were unable to generate enough offense to complete the comeback.
Johnson threw seven innings with four strikeouts, while allowing just three earned runs.
Garcia finished 2-for-2 in the first game with three RBIs and a run scored. Alvarado added two hits, with a pair of runs scored.
NEWMAN GAME TWO – NU 7, MC 5
In the nightcap, the Jets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the third, then led 5-1 after the fifth inning. A sacrifice fly by Garcia made it a 5-2 Newman advantage, but Madison Canez singled to left field in the sixth, scoring one run.
The Bulldogs made a late push, loading the bases with no outs before Alivia Lange was hit by the pitch. Then a groundout to second base by Jasmine Montoya brought Sarsfield home. MC would cut the lead to 6-5 on a sacrifice fly by Alvarado, scoring Wright.
But, the Jets added one more in the top of the seventh. MC was down to their last out, when Solis walked, then Sarsfield singled, but a fly ball to left field by Wright ended the game.
Sarsfield finished 2-for-4 at the plate for the Bulldogs with an RBI and a run scored. Samantha Hollingsworth got the start in the circle in game two, and struck out two batters while allowing four earned runs in seven innings.
The Bulldogs will be back in action Saturday (Mar. 16), traveling to take on Ottawa University. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
