[Softball] Softball drops pair of close contests with McPherson

The Kansas Wesleyan softball battled on Thursday night with the McPherson Bulldogs, but the Coyotes would come up just short on both ends of a doubleheader, dropping the opener 4-1 and the second game 6-5 in eight innings at Bill Burke Park.

KWU is now 9-13 in the conference heading into Saturday's regular season finale against Sterling. The Coyotes are in a four-way tie for the final playoff spot with Sterling, Saint Mary and Oklahoma Wesleyan.

Thursday's game were a make-up from a doubleheader originally scheduled for March 30, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

In the second game, Wesleyan broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with three runs. Taylor LaGrange (SR/Mont Belvieu, Texas) led off the inning with a double, then scored on a single by Brenna Rich (FR/Mission Viejo, Calif.). Tara Stubits (SO/Topeka, Kan.) later singled setting up Alyssa Garza (JR/San Antonio, Texas)'s 2-run double down the line in left.

McPherson got two runs back in the top half of the sixth and then in the seventh went ahead 4-3.

In the bottom of the seventh, LaGrange led off with a walk and moved to second on Sierra Martinez (SO/Manteca, Calif.)' sacrifice. Rich walked and a passed ball moved the runners up 60 feet. Stubits then reached on an error when the first baseman pulled her foot off the base before receiving the ball which allowed the game-tying run across. The Coyotes could not push the game-winner across sending the game to extra innings.

McPherson scored twice in the eighth to take a 6-4 lead. The Coyotes then had their chance. But could only score one run when LaGrange reached on an error.

In the opener, the Coyotes fell behind 1-0 in the first inning and trailed 3-0 before getting a run in the bottom of the third as Lauren Blue (SO/Arlington, Texas) and Stubits singled, Garza walked and an error by McPherson allowed the run to score.

The Bulldogs added a run in the sixth for the 4-1 win.

Stubits went the distance in both games for the Coyotes, throwing 269 pitches over 15 innings, striking out 10 along the way.

LaGrange had three hits on the day, two in the second game to lead Wesleyan's offense.

The Coyotes close the regular season on Saturday, hosting Sterling at 1 p.m. at Bill Burke Park.