McPherson, Kan. - The Tigers baseball team finally got to play home games in McPherson this past weekend as they hosted the Southwestern Christian University Eagles in a Saturday-Sunday showdown.
Game 1, 6-0 L
Nick Clayson earned the game 1 start for the Tigers seeking another solid outing, he pitched well giving up only 2 runs in his first 5 innings pitched allowing 5 total on 5.1 IP. The Tigers had a lot of opportunities to build off of Clayson's strong in the first 5 innings but the offense struggled scoring 0 runs on just 2 hits on Eagles starting pitcher E. Cuavas and could not force him out of the game as the Tigers dropped the series opener.
Game 2, 5-4 L
The Tiger offense adjusted and came out swinging right away in game 2, scoring 3 in the 1
st inning on a
Kurt Ippolito RBI double, an error, and a balk as well as another run in the 2
nd on a
Mason Bowden RBI single. Tigers starting pitcher
Nick Julian looked really good giving up no runs and even no hits through his first 5 innings. But in the 6
th inning as the Tigers still lead just 4-0 the Eagles finally got to Julian, scoring 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits to take a 5-4 lead and kill the Tiger momentum. There was still plenty of time for the Tigers to tie things up or regain the lead in the final 2 innings but the offense couldn't come through after a strong first 2 innings as the Tigers lost a tough one and the Eagles clinched the series win.
Game 3, 13-10 L
The Tigers looked to avoid a sweep and get back into the win column on Sunday with sophomore
Robert White getting the game 3 start. No scoring was done until the Eagles started what would become a back and forth frenzy of runs from both teams with 4 runs in the 3
rd inning. The Tigers responded with 2 of their own in the 3
rd on a 2 run homer from
Braedon Ulrich to cut the lead in half. The Eagles responded with 2 runs in the 4
th and 2 in the 5
th to increase their lead to 8-2. 3 more Tiger runs scored in the same inning fueled by a
Kurt Ippolito 2 run homerun to make it 8-5. Things slowed down in the 6
th inning with no runs from either team until the Eagles scored a run in the 7
th and 4 in the 8
th to potentially put the game out of reach. The Tigers would not go away though, putting together a 5
th run bottom of the 8
th with a bases clearing double from
Braedon Ulrich and a 2 run homer from
Bo Daniel to give the Tigers life and put them right back in the game down 13-10.
Armando Aguilar threw a scoreless 9
th out of the bullpen to give the Tigers a decent chance and although they threatened, no runs came across resulting in another tough loss and a sweep for the 2
nd weekend in a row.
The Tigers who now sit at 10-15 (2-7) will look to put a stop to the losing streak and bounce back in Fort Worth, Texas this upcoming weekend in a contest against the Texas Wesleyan University Rams.
