MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE GAM E DAY - APR I L 17- 18, 2021
MUSTANG BASEBALL As the chase for 2021 Great Plains Athletic Conference postseason tournament berths continues, and the league’s regular-season standings tighten up, Morningside College looks to keep pace in the loop top four this weekend. Head coach Adam Boeve’s Mustangs, sporting a 17-22 overall and 9-7 conference record, take to their home field at Lewis and Clark Stadium for the first time since last March. Midland University is their guest, bringing a 16-21 overall and 5-11 GPAC mark to the four-game series.
The Match-Up The Maroon has captured three of the last five against the Warriors. The all-time series is led by Midland, though, at a 23-10 count. Mside captured two of three from them in 2018-19, which included a home doubleheader sweep. Seven extra-base hits, including four triples, helped deliver a single-game season-high 16 runs for the Mustangs on April 11. Pushing aside a four-game skid, Boeve’s bunch broke open game two of a doubleheader at Hastings College’s Duncan Field with a 12-run rally over the final four frames. Junior outfielder Levi Davidson cracked a double and triple and drove in three; freshman infielder Eddie Brancato garnered three hits and drove in three; senior infielder Jordan Pierce produced two triples as part of three hits, and junior catcher Braden Smutz clouted a home run to guide an attack that sent junior pitcher Billy Mount to his second win of the season. The remaining three games against the Broncos proved difficult. Hastings swept the Saturday doubleheader 8-0 and 9-3 and captured Sunday’s first outing by a 9-1 count. Sophomore outfielder Michael Boomgarden secured an RBI in the April 11 lid-lifter; Brancato and Boomgarden collected two hits in April 10’s nightcap. The same pair also had two safeties each in the series starter.
This weekend’s series begins a scheduled run of eight successive home games. Morningside hosts Peru State College Wednesday, April 21, in a pair of non-conference tilts. The University of Jamestown winds up the set with their visit for two league battles Saturday, April 24. Game times are 2 p.m. against PSC and noon versus UJ. Freshman outfielder Hunter Hope continues to be among a group of players on the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ statistics harboring a perfect fielding percentage. He was one of 190 as of April 13. His 1.000 effort (54 putouts with no errors) is part of a group of 10 such in the GPAC.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS A trio is hitting .300 or better for head coach Chad Miller’s squad through 37 contests. Junior outfielders Sam Braun (.337) and Dakota Thornton (.317) join junior infielder/pitcher Peyton Garbers (.305) make up the list. Thornton has brought the plate power with five home runs and four doubles among his 32 safeties. It’s a similar digit pattern on the mound. Seniors Brenden Jones, James Scurto, and Tyler Seebaum each have a staffleading four victories to their credit. Junior southpaw Steven Boyd is the top starter regarding earned-run average (3.93) and strikeouts (64).