McPHERSON, Kan. – The finale of this weekend's Southwestern College baseball series at McPherson College was a sight to behold, as the windy conditions in McPherson proved to be a major factor in the tilt. The offenses had a field day in this Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) battle, combining for 39 hits across nine innings and a combined 27 runs. After SC grabbed leads as large as six runs at 8-2, 9-3 and 11-5, the Bulldogs rallied to score the game's final 11 runs and earn the 16-11 win over Southwestern. They completed the three-game sweep with the effort.

The Moundbuilders' first inning was impressive, as a leadoff single into center was hit by Tyler Seboldt, and a subsequent two-run blast by Joseph Finder made it 2-0 before a single out was recorded. Another run would come in before an out was made, as a single from London Penland was followed up by a run-scoring double into left field by Marcus Burton, making it 3-0. Burton would eventually come across on an RBI single from David Morales with two outs to make it 4-0 after the top half. McPherson would respond, cutting that lead in half in the bottom of the first, though. A single and a two-run homer put the Bulldogs two runs on the scoreboard.

That response did very little to break the SC spirit, as they came back with another pile of four runs in the top of the second. With one out in the frame, back-to-back-to-back singles were recorded by Finder, Penland and Burton, which brought Josh Crabtree to the dish with one away and the bases juiced. He promptly deposited a pitch into left field to bring home all three runners for the first three runs of the inning. Jo. Crabtree would end up scoring later in the inning on two straight wild pitches, making it 8-2 Builders entering the latter half of the second.

Both teams were held off the board for the first time on their next appearances at the dish, as McPherson would add another tally in the bottom of inning number three. After two straight singles, with a balk in-between them, the Bulldogs grounded into a double play to bring home a run, but that is all they would get in the stanza.

One more Builder tally would come across in the top of the fourth, which erased the run scored on the double play ball by MC in the bottom of the third. Singles from Burton and Will Johannsen set up Morales with two runners on and two outs recorded. Morales stepped up to deliver a run-scoring single into center, making it a 9-3 lead for SC with just over half the game to be played. McPherson, though, would continue putting up runs. They picked up a couple more in the bottom of the fourth on back-to-back RBI singles, making it 9-5 entering the fifth.

Southwestern's determination to keep the lead would remain, as they continually responded to the Bulldog offense. The top half of the fifth resulted in two more Moundbuilder runs, as a bases loaded situation with one out brought Burton to the plate. He came up clutch with a two-run single into left field to make it 11-5. Andrew Brown and Seboldt scored on the play.

Then, though, McPherson had their first hitter of the bottom of the fifth walked. Then, back-to-back homers brought home three runs in the frame and cut the Builder lead in half from six runs to just three.

Quickly, the Moundbuilders would be turned away in the top of the sixth, and the Bulldogs went to work in the bottom half. All told, twelve MC hitters stepped to the plate in the inning, as five of them hit homeruns in the stanza. Five of their seven hits in the frame were round-trippers, which led to an eight-run inning by the home squad, giving them a commanding 16-11 lead. Such a disastrous turn of events for Southwestern took a toll on the squad mentally, as they did not record a run and picked up just two hits on offense over the final three frames. They fell by the eventual 16-11 final score.

Offense was prevalent for the Builders, especially early in the tilt, as all but one starter in the SC lineup had at least one hit in the game. Burton (5-for-6, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R) was the standout for the Moundbuilder offense, but there were other great performances. Finder (4-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) had a massive day, while the trio of Seboldt, Penland and Morales each had two hits in the loss. Morales drove home two runs, while Seboldt and Penland each scored twice. Jo. Crabtree had the big three-run double early on, as well.

Nathan Simmons had the lead in this game when he departed, though he surrendered eight runs on 10 hits over four innings of work. Jaxon Burns was hit with the loss in the battle, as he allowed McPherson to score five runs on five hits in 1.1 innings of work. Dylan Navarrette came out of the pen next, allowing three hits and three runs. All three hits he gave up were long balls, as Braden Ash and Jacob Woodburn combined to toss the final two scoreless frames for the squad.

In a game where it seemed that the Builders (6-13, 0-3 KCAC) might be in control over the first few innings, Southwestern dropped their seventh game out of their last eight bouts. It has been a season of streaks for the Moundbuilders in the early stages. The squad will be hoping to turn it around on Tuesday in Wichita, as they face the Friends University Falcons on the road for a midweek conference battle.

--buildersports.com--