HILLSBORO, Kan. – Tuesday proved to be a beautiful day for the Bluejay Softball's official home-opening doubleheader. Fans might remember that the original home series against Doane University was moved to Langrehr Park in Great Bend due to the Bluejays' home field not being playable. 
 
Game One
 
The Bluejays would take a little bit to get comfortable in the first game. Mikayla Guarascio, Darcy Gillen, and Cheyenne Washington would each get hits to put runners on, and in two instances during the first inning, Bluejay runners would be in scoring position, but the Tabor bats couldn't get going the way they wanted to, at least in the first inning. The 2^nd Inning would see both teams get on the board, with Savannah Evans and Lainee Rae Miller scoring for the Bluejays. McPherson would score another run in the 3^rd Inning, while Tabor went one, two, three to end the inning. Neither team would score in the 4^th and the Bulldogs would put one more run on the board in the 5^th, while the Bluejays would get three quick outs. Neither team would score in the 6^th, but McPherson would score the critical run towards the end of the top of the 7^th and would hold the Bluejays scoreless in the bottom of the inning to win, 5-3.
 
"We had a solid outing in the circle with Marisa Carranza", said Head Softball Coach Jeff Brewer. "Defensively we played pretty well and offensively got people on base, we just didn't get hits when we needed them and made a few mental errors that cost us in the game. McPherson has a talented team and we just can't make those mistakes and be successful."
 
Game Two
 
After what turned out to be a disappointing start to the evening, the Bluejays would look to bounce back in the second game of the doubleheader against McPherson. Annabelle Buchanan pitched a monster 1^st Inning for Tabor to start things out, sitting down the first three batters in the Bulldogs' lineup. The Bluejays however wouldn't fare much better and would record a hit before heading back out into the field. Buchanan would deal another quick inning, this time giving up one hit before sending the next three Bulldogs back to the dugout. The 2^nd Inning proved to be the turning point for Tabor, as an offensive explosion would give the Bluejays a 5-0 lead after the 2^nd Inning. Unfortunately for the Bluejay ladies, the Bulldogs would answer right back with five runs of their own in the 3^rdInning. Neither team would get on the board again until the bottom of the 5^th, when the Bluejays would score three more runs to pull ahead 8-5. Lauren Roberts would come home off an RBI single from Jordyn Farren in the 6^thInning to extend the Bluejays' lead to four runs. McPherson would spoil the Lady Bluejays' hopes of getting three quick outs to win the game and would score six runs to force Tabor to come back out for the bottom of the 7^th. The Bluejays would load the bases with one out. One of the big plays of the inning would come next, where Lauren Roberts would be hit by a pitch and get on base and would drive in a run as a result to cut the deficit to one. Laura Savage would come in clutch for Tabor as she would hit a walk-off two-RBI double to give the Bluejays the win, 12-11.
 
"We had a solid outing in the circle with Annabelle Buchanan and we battled at the plate on the offensive side and timely hitting was on our side. It was an exciting game to watch, back and forth with scoring & we had good at bats. We fell behind by two in the 7^th but worked hard to get runners on base", Coach Brewer remarked.
 
The Bluejays will be back in action on Saturday as they head down to Winfield to take on the Moundbuilders of Southwestern College. The first pitch of the doubleheader will be at 1pm and the series will be broadcasted live on the KCAC Network.
Be sure to stay up to date 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).