Mustang
BASEBALL SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2022
This afternoon, the 2022 Great Plains Athletic Conference regular season continues its home stretch run. It’s a Siouxland showdown on the Mercy One Field, as Northwestern College is the Mustangs’ guest. After today’s twin bill, head coach Adam Boeve’s squad has only six league games remaining.
THE SERIES Morningside has won three of the last four against the Red Raiders, with a split in Orange City included last spring. The all-time total stands 39-26 in Mside’s favor.
THE MATCH-UP The winners of seven of their last 10, Boeve’s bunch harbors a 24-14 overall and 10-10 loop record. They’re percentage points behind crosstown rival Briar Cliff University for fourth place and only three in back of Mount Marty University for third on the GPAC standings. Four individuals posted two-or-more hits, leading to a game one victory on April 19. Freshman outfielder Hunter Jenkins, sophomore second baseman Eddie Brancato, senior outfielder Hunter Hope, and freshman third baseman Jacob O’Dell tallied two or more safeties in the Mustangs’ 13-8 win over Heart of America Conference member Peru State College. Jenkins led the quartet with three, including a double to drive in two runs; Brancato also drove in two and tallied a two-bagger, and O’Dell brought three in due to a home run and double. Freshman pitcher Will Brandner benefited from the output. He went four and third innings for his third victory of the season. Game two was the opposite of the opener on the host’s Centennial Complex diamond. Freshman Kai Purdy-Burton locked up in a pitcher’s duel with PSC’s Elijah Boersen for five-plus frames. Burton K’ed a personal single-game best seven compared to Boersen’s two. Peru State scored single runs in the first and fourth compared to one Mside score in the third for a 2-1 decision. Brancato was three-for-three at the plate, doubled, and scored a run despite the defeat. Hope added two hits and the lone RBI. O’Dell’s game one effort continued a recent red-hot streak. He’s eight-for-20 over his last six contests, good for a .400 stretch. Through 38 games, the Mustangs have seven players hitting .300 or better. Freshman catcher Jayson Willers tops the list (.370), followed closely by Jenkins, who has jetted to a .365 mark of late due to hitting safely in 17 of the last 19 contests. Willers is also the team leader in hits (47), doubles (12), and RBI (40). Pitching-wise, sophomore Wade Canaday continues to be one of the league’s best with five wins, two complete games, and a 3.32 earned run average. Senior reliever Jordan Kyle is among the GPAC’s best in saves (six). Head coach Brian Wede’s NWC team stands 16-20 overall and 8-12 in the conference. Junior first baseman Kip Cullinan headlines the offense. He’s hitting .381 with eight doubles, six home runs, and 29 RBI. Fellow infielder Sam Stanford, a sophomore, has a .349 batting average with nine doubles, two home runs, and 21 RBI. Junior Brett Shelton’s four wins and six complete games anchor the pitching staff. Morningside’s final week of the regular season begins tomorrow (Sunday, April 24) with a trip to Dakota Wesleyan University for a noon doubleheader. On Friday and Saturday, April 29 and 30, the Mustangs are back home for Senior Weekend 2022 against Hastings College. Start times are 4 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.