East Wichita Times

Bluejays Grab Conference Opener Win Over Bulldogs

Tabor baseball kicked off conference play this afternoon at home in a 9 inning game against the McPherson Bulldogs. The Bulldogs came to Hillsboro with a record of 6-6 as the Bluejays were 9-6. 

  

Cutter Smith (SR/Bennett, Colo.) started out on the mound for the Bluejays. McPherson put up a run early in the first inning, but Tabor locked in and closed out the inning without giving up any more runs. Micah Dvorak (SO/Garden City, Kan.) placed a picture-perfect bunt down the third base line that stayed in fair territory, earning him a spot on first base. The Bulldogs were able to close out the inning before Dvorak had the opportunity to advance any further. 

  

The Bluejays held the Bulldogs scoreless in the second and third innings. At the bottom of the third, the Bluejay bats came alive as Trotter Boston (SO/Roswell, N.M.) started off with a double to center. Tyler Mata Lloyd (JR/Fort Collins, Colo.) moved Boston to third with a bunt and beat the throw to first base. On a single from Micah Dvorak, Boston crossed home plate. The Bluejays kept it rolling, as Brayden Whitchurch (SR/Wichita, Kan.) got on base with a bunt, followed by a single from Cody Moore (SO/Midlothian, Texas) to score Mata Lloyd.

  

With two outs and bases loaded, the Bulldogs struggled to get their last out and Jackie Jimenez (JR/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) brought Dvorak home to take a 3-1 lead entering the top of the fourth. Tabor's momentum carried over to the field, getting three quick outs.

  

Neither team would score, until Micah Dvorak sent a pitch over the right field fence for a solo homerun. Brayden Whitchurch got on base, followed by a Cody Moore homer over center to score two more, extending a 6-1 lead.

Quintin Holman (SO/Nebraska City, Neb.) took over on the mound for the Bluejays and struck out the third out in the top of the sixth inning after a fly out to center and a groundout to third. In the bottom of the sixth, the Bluejays put another run on the board after a McPherson pitching change, as Brayden Whitchurch hit an RBI to score Tyler Mata Lloyd.

  

The score remained 7-1 in favor of the Bluejays throughout the seventh inning. McPherson began to find their bats in the eighth inning, scoring three runs. Tabor rallied and caught two fly balls, along with a Max Raddatz (SO/St. George, Utah) strikeout to escape the inning and hold a 7-4 lead. The Bulldogs didn't allow the Bluejays to score in the bottom of the eighth.

  

McPherson scored one in the ninth. As the bases became loaded with just one out, Sergio Gutierrez (JR/Oxnard, Calif.) struck out two in a row to end the game. The Bluejays took the 7-5 victory.

Original source can be found here.