Offense powers way to mid-week non-conference split

PERU, NEB. – Four individuals posted two-or-more hits, leading Morningside University to a game one victory Tuesday, April 19.

Freshman outfielder Hunter Jenkins (Bakersfield, Calif.), sophomore second baseman Eddie Brancato (Arlington Heights, Ill.), senior outfielder Hunter Hope (Sioux City, Iowa), and freshman third baseman Jacob O'Dell (Northridge, Calif.) each tallied two-or-more safeties in the Mustangs' 13-8 win over Heart of America Conference member Peru State College. Jenkins led the group 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 (Worthington, Minn.) 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 (Pasadena, Calif.) 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. 

Head coach Adam Boeve's squad (24-14) moves back into Great Plains Athletic Conference action Saturday, April 23. The Mustangs face off against Siouxland rival Northwestern College in a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Mercy One Field at Lewis and Clark Park. 

NOTE: 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.