MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE GAM E DAY - M ARCH 27, 2021
MUSTANG BASEBALL A span of four Great Plains Athletic Conference match-ups in two days concludes this afternoon with Morningside College taking on Dakota Wesleyan University at Mount Marty University’s Bob Tereshinski Stadium at Riverside Park. Head coach Adam Boeve’s Mustangs went into the set, which began with a doubleheader at Northwestern College last night, tied for third on the league standings at 3-1 with National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ No. 24-ranked Concordia University and Hastings College. The Tigers, coached by Charlie Dubanoski, begin a four-game weekend loop swing of their own today with a 5-9 overall and 0-4 GPAC record.
The Match-Up Morningside owns a 23-11 all-time series advantage, which has been shepherded of late by a current trend of five victories in seven outings. The most recent edition wound up as a split at Lewis and Clark Park in Sioux City during the 2018-19 season. The 2021 GPAC slate couldn’t have opened much better for the Mustangs. Competing on the same field they are taking this afternoon, Mside captured three of four from the Lancers of MMU on March 20 and 21. Big innings in both ends of the March 20 section led the Maroon to a sweep. The team plated six tallies in the bottom of the sixth in game one, piecing together two hits, taking advantage of two walks and three hit batters, and a critical Lancer error to overtake a 4-0 deficit. The comeback made a winner of freshman lefty Caleb Thomson, who battled throughout with five strikeouts to pick up his first career complete-game triumph. Game two saw Boeve’s bunch pick up where they left off in the opener. After MMU plated a run in the second for an early lead, Mside answered back with another six-run outburst. This time around, two Mount Marty errors figured in along with a double off the bat of sophomore outfielder Michael Boomgarden. Freshman starter Justin Lottman made it stand up and received near-perfect work from his junior bullpen mates of Jake Prewitt and Camden Parks. They limited the Lancers to one unearned run on two hits over the final four frames. Sunday’s series finale was led by the top half of Morningside’s line-up. Thomson, junior infielder Carter Kratz, freshman outfielder Hunter
Hope, and senior infielder Jordan Pierce each collected a hit and at least one run-batted-in during the opener. Their combined output fueled a pair of three-run rallies in the fifth and sixth innings to send the Mustangs to a seriesclinching 8-6 win in game one. In the nightcap, the Mustangs appeared on the verge of a four-game sweep with a 5-4 edge going into the home half of the eighth before MMU posted four runs to salvage an 8-5 decision. Kratz, Hope, and Pierce came back again with at least one hit, and Pierce drove in a run. Junior outfielder Levi Davidson and freshman infielder Wade Canaday also collected two RBI each, as Davidson wrapped up an impressive three-for-eight, one-run-scored, two-RBI afternoon. Mside pitching continued its recent progressions, too. Despite a rough game-two defeat, junior Billy Mount crafted a six-strikeout effort over seven and a third. Canaday and junior bullpen ace Jordan Kyle kept the home team away from picking up a Sunday sweep with a combined four strikeouts in game one. Boeve’s program netted 57 points on the 2021 Great Plains Athletic Conference preseason listing, released March 18. The Mustangs were only eight points from a first five slot in their No. 6 standing. Concordia University was the preseason favorite, gleaning 99 points and nine first-place votes, with the University of Jamestown a close second (87 points – two firstplace votes). Mount Marty University, Northwestern College, and Midland University rounded out the top five. Next week’s five-game slate includes a trip to North Star Athletic Association power Bellevue University Tuesday, March 30; a conference doubleheader at Dordt University Friday, April 2; and a Sioux City appearance against Doane University Saturday, April 3.
ABOUT DWU Despite the difficult season start, the Tigers are among the nation’s top defensive units. Their .962 team fielding percentage is 26th-highest. Along individual statistical lines, senior infielder Reed Harter, junior infielder Cameron Quigley, and senior pitcher Ethan Davis are part of the national first 15. Harter and Quigley are among a large number who have perfect fielding percentages; Harter’s penchant for triples, going at a remarkable .182 per contest, ranks 14th; and Davis’ minuscule three walks allowed are 15th-lowest.