(RV) Eagles Find Footing with Sweep of McPherson

McPHERSON, Kan. – (RV) Avila softball (26-12, 13-3 KCAC) returned to form this weekend in McPherson, shaking out of their mini losing streak to earn two convincing wins over the Bulldogs.

After starting off KCAC play in 2024 11-0, the Eagles were stuck in a small tailspin, dropping their last three games, including Wednesday's pair against fellow league favorites Ottawa. But the Eagles looked much more like themselves in Saturday's games against McPherson, one of the more solid teams in the league so far this season. The Eagles struck for 17 runs on 27 hits over the two games Saturday, and never trailed at all in either game. In fact, aside from when the score was 0-0 before a pitch was thrown, McPherson managed to tie the score only once – Avila was in control for the rest of the afternoon.

For whatever reason, the Bulldogs did not call upon the services of number one pitcher Jordyn Johnson at any point in the series. She got knocked out early in her previous start in the midweek, leaving "everyone else" to lift the Bulldogs to a split with Bethel. Avila has had some success against Johnson in years past, and "everyone else" had little success against Avila this year: all but one run Saturday allowed by three different Bulldog pitchers was earned, while three Eagle pitchers combined to allow only one earned run total.

The Eagles got off to as fast of a start as possible against Samantha Hollingsworth in Saturday's series opener, promptly loading the bases with only one out, where Hollingsworth walked Stephanie Hayes to drive in the game's first run. But things only got worse for the Bulldogs, because the next batter, Hallie Campbell, cleared the bases with a grand slam to give the Eagles a huge early lead. Later, with two outs, Katie Wentworth drove in Julia Douglass to put a bow on a six-run first for the visitors.

McPherson bled across an unearned run in the third inning, but that was literally all McPherson would muster against McKayla Cotton, who more than returned to form with one of her best outings so far in what's been an excellent season.  The sophomore worked the full six innings, allowing only two singles and the one unearned run with three walks against a season high ten strikeouts.

And Cotton only needed to throw six innings to get the win because the Eagle offense surged late after Hollingsworth kept Avila off the board following that rocky first. Wentworth had a huge day out of the nine-hole in the order, plating in a pair in the fifth, and then Montana Stangel hit a solo shot off Hollingsworth in the sixth to put the Eagles up by the requisite eight runs. Cotton sent McPherson down in order in the bottom half, wrapping up an empathic 8-1 win for Avila to start the doubleheader.

After driving in the final run of game one, Montana Stangel drove in Chelsea Kurtz for the first run of game two to get the Eagles off and running again. McPherson countered immediately off Stangel in the circle when top hitter Rowdy New scored on an error to tie the game, but that tie didn't last long: Wentworth stayed hot with an RBI and a run in the second to put Avila up 3-1, and then Hayes and Campbell hit back to back doubles in the third inning before doubling up and doing the exact same thing, a pair of consecutive doubles in the fifth inning to put Avila up 7-1.

Myra Megli then drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh before New drove in McPherson's only earned run of the day in the home half. Stangel worked the front 6.1 innings in another excellent outing, scattering eight hits, all singles, while striking out nine. Madyson Withey recorded the final two outs to shore up an 8-2 victory and a doubleheader sweep for the Eagles.

Campbell stole the show for the Eagles, going 7-for-8 over the course of the doubleheader with a total of six RBI. Wentworth drove in three runs out of the nine-spot. Hayes, Brooke Belflower and Emily Branson, in her return to the lineup, all recorded two hits in game two, while Laila Rueda scored two runs as a pinch-runner and worked a walk in her lone plate appearance.

Up next, Avila will return to the road and head east to Springfield, Missouri to face league newcomers Evangel this Tuesday, April 9. Avila faced Evangel last season out of conference, and the two Missouri squads will now meet for the first time as fellow members of the KCAC this Tuesday, starting at 2 PM. As always, you can watch all the action live on the KCAC Network.