(Lindsborg, Kan.)- Peru State College split its doubleheader at Bethany on Feb. 21-22 in Lindsborg, Kansas, using a decisive five-run fifth inning to claim the opener 6-4 before falling 13-2 in Game 2.
The Bobcats did their best work in the first game when they turned a one-run deficit into a comfortable lead in the fifth. Bethany went in front 1-0 in the second on T. Verplank's RBI single, but Peru State pulled even in the fourth when  scored on a passed ball. The game changed an inning later. Mercader delivered the biggest swing of the day with a three-run home run, and the Bobcats kept the pressure on with additional run-scoring hits in the same frame.  added a run-producing double, and  followed with an RBI single as Peru State plated five runs in the inning for a 6-1 advantage.
Bethany answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, trimming the margin to 6-4, but Peru State held the line over the final two innings to finish off the seven-inning win. The Bobcats scored six runs on seven hits and left seven on base. Mercader led the offense with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Dunn contributed a double and an RBI, and Strong drove in a run with one hit. Bethany collected eight hits in the opener, but Peru State's middle-inning surge proved to be the difference.
Game 2 moved in the opposite direction as Bethany scored in each of the first six innings and never let Peru State settle in. Bethany took a 1-0 lead in the first, pushed it to 3-0 in the second, then added three more runs in the third after Peru State got on the board. A four-run fourth inning broke the game open, and the home side kept adding on the way to a 13-2 final. Peru State scored once in the third and once in the fourth, but could not produce the big inning it found in the opener.
Bethany finished with 14 hits and was led by F. Dumey, who went 3-for-3 with four RBIs, including a two-run double in the third and another RBI knock in the fifth. D. Barker also had three hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Bethany starter J. Guzman worked four innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out three, and the home staff combined to limit the Bobcats to two runs. Peru State finished with eight hits in the second game, but six errors and Bethany's steady scoring made the gap difficult to close.
The twin bill produced two very different scripts for Peru State. In the opener, the Bobcats capitalized on their key moment and rode Mercader's fifth-inning home run to a comeback win. In the nightcap, Bethany controlled the game from the first inning on and closed out the split behind a deep offensive showing. Under clear skies and temperatures in the 40s in Lindsborg, the Bobcats left with a split built around one swing and one big inning in Game 1.
