HILLSBORO, Kan. — The Bluejays had their home opener over the weekend, Feb. 24th- 25th, against the McPherson College Bulldogs. The men were seeing McPherson's pitching really well in all three games, 17-6, 29-5, and 24-9.
Head Coach Mark Standiford said, "As a team, we played well against a very good McPherson team. I am really proud of the way our offense performed this past weekend. We made some good adjustments in our approach and pitch selection and I believe it paid off. Hopefully, we can keep it up."
GAME ONE- Bluejays 17 Bulldogs 6
The starting pitcher for Tabor was senior Cutter Smith and getting the save was junior Max Raddatz to secure the win for the first game. Tyler Mata Lloyd started the first inning with a double to right field then later stole third. The Bulldogs threw a ball in the dirt and Mata Lloyd took advantage of the error and scored, 1-0.
Jackie Jimenez and Miguel Ramos III both got walked to get on in the second inning. Advancing after another wild pitch, Jimenez and Ramos III were in scoring position. Trotter Boston hit a ball just far enough that both Jimenez and Ramos III scored, 3-0.
A quiet third inning for both teams. But in the fourth, the Bluejays scored 3 more runs. A double for Trotter Boston, a single for Mikey Acosta, and a single for Tyler Mata Lloyd. Micah Dvorak reached on a fielder's choice. Mata Lloyd and Dvorak moved to third and second on a passed ball. Cody Moore hit a sac fly just far enough for Mata Lloyd to score and Juan Rosa-Gonzalez hit a ball to shortstop for Dvorak to score, 6-0.
Finally, the Bulldogs put some runs on the board making the score, 6-4. The Bluejays did not let off the gas peddle and scored 4 more to increase their lead. In the top of the sixth, the Bulldogs added 2 more runs, while the Bluejays added 7 in the following three innings. The Bluejays got a big enough lead to cut the game to 8 innings instead of 9.
GAME TWO- Bluejays 29 Bulldogs 5
Senior Payton Tinkler got the start for the second game for the Bluejays and added another win to the record. The Bluejay's first batter, Tyler Mata Lloyd hit a lead-off homerun to get inning one started and it didn't slow down after. Micah Dvorak walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Cody Moore then got a walk and both runners advanced on another pass ball. Miguel Ramos III got in on the action hitting a 3-run homerun to give the Jays a big lead fast, 4-0.
McPherson scored 1 in the next inning but it didn't take long for the Bluejays to get that back. Isaiah Cohens hit a single then stole second. Micah Dvorak drew another walk and both runners stole. Cody Moore hit a ball to the second baseman to score Cohens, 5-1.
In the bottom of the third, the Bluejays scored 3 more runs, 8-1. The Bulldogs hit a homerun to make the score, 8-2, and trying to slowly find their ground. The Bluejays scored 4 more runs to make the score 12-2 in the bottom of the fourth. A long fifth inning for the Jays scoring 7 runs. Cody Moore hit a homerun to get the rally going. Aidan Martinez then hit a double and scored on a homerun hit by Marcelo Aguirre. Garryn Plummer got a base hit, Trotter Boston, Isaiah Cohens, and Tyler Mata Lloyd all singled and Sebastian Serbia hit a double, 19-2.
The Bluejay's longest inning was the sixth. The guys scored 10 runs to make the score 29-2. The seventh inning, McPherson scored 3 runs but couldn't get anymore, finishing the game, 29-5.
GAME THREE- Bluejays 24 Bulldogs 9
Quintin Holman was on the mound for the Bluejays to wrap up a great weekend. Tyler Mata Lloyd started off the game with another lead-off homerun to bring in the first run of the game. In the bottom of the second, Isaiah Cohens hit a single, Tyler Mata Lloyd hit a single and stole second. Micah Dvorak drew a walk and with the bases loaded, Cody Moore hit a double off the right center wall scoring Cohens and Mata Lloyd. Juan Rosa-Gonzalez hit a shot back at the pitcher and scored Dvorak. Jackie Jimenez got hit by a pitch and Miguel Ramos III got walked. With bases loaded again, Trotter Boston hit a double to right to clear the bases, 7-0.
McPherson got their first run in the top of the third inning and Tabor answered right back. Isaiah Cohens hit a homerun to start the inning. Tyler Mata Lloyd got walked and moved to second with a hit by Micah Dvorak. Mata Lloyd stole third while Dvorak moved to second. Cody Moore recorded another RBI to score Mata Lloyd. Juan Rosa-Gonzalez got hit by a pitch and stole second. A passed ball by the Bulldog's catcher scored Dvoark. A single hit by Miguel Ramos III scored Rosa-Gonzalez, 10-1. The Bulldogs then scored another 3 runs and Tabor scored 2, 12-4. McPherson was trying to cut the deficit and scored in the fifth, sixth, and seventh inning but it wasn't enough to catch the Bluejays, 24-9.
The Bluejays take the series against McPherson College moving their overall record to 6-6 and 4-2 in the KCAC.
The Bluejays take on Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Tuesday, Feb. 27th at 1:00 p.m.
Be sure to stay updated with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).
