Mustangs sweep opening day doubleheader

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Morningside baseball program kicked the 2023 season off with a pair of wins in Joplin, Missouri Saturday.

In game one, the Mustangs scored 14 runs, and they needed every one of them to defeat Viterbo 14-13. Game two was considerably lower scoring, as the Mustangs secured a 4-1 win over Dakota State. 

The Mustangs struck first in the top of the first inning, as an error allowed Jayson Willers to reach and Carter Ades scored on the play. Viterbo responded with six runs in the bottom of the second to take a 6-1 lead into the third.

The Mustangs scored two or more runs in every inning from there, closing the gap and taking the lead in the top of the seventh. Eddie Brancato hit a two-run home run in the top of the third, his first of two long balls on the day. 

Viterbo scored two in the bottom of the inning to lead 8-3. The Mustangs scored six unanswered runs over the next three innings to take the lead. Ades recorded an RBI-single and Ryan Kiolbassa an RBI-groundout in the fourth. Alex Calabrese hit an RBI-double and scored on Elijah Rude's single in the fifth and Brancato hit a two-run double in the sixth to give the Mustangs a 9-8 lead. 

Viterbo regained the lead 10-9 after scoring on a single and a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth. Hunter Jenkins reached on an error that brought in the tying run in the seventh. Brancato walked to the plate a few at-bats later and hit his second home run, this one a grand slam, to break open the game and give Morningside a lead it didn't relinquish.

Brancato went 3-for-5 with a double and two home runs, driving in eight runners in game one. Ades added three hits, including a triple. Hunter Hope and Rude tallied two hits apiece and Aiden Bishop added a double. 

Logan Warkentin received credit for the win in relief of the starter, Will Brandner. Calabrese recorded the final out of the one-run contest, giving him the save.

The story of game two was the strong pitching performances from starter Will Canaday and reliever Josh Thurman. Canaday gave up one run over five innings, striking out seven in the win. Thurman pitched the final two innings to pick up the save.

All four of Morningside's runs came in the first three innings of game two. The first two scored in the bottom half of the opening frame, as Jayson Wilbers doubled to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead. 

Gunnar Kale reached on an error that allowed Calabrese to score in the second and Aiden Bishop reached on an error in the third that allowed Kiolbassa to score. Dakota State added a run in the fifth, but wasn't able to muster up anything more.

Morningside managed three hits in their 4-1 win, all two of which came in the first inning. Ades singled and Wilbers doubled in the bottom of the first, and Kiolbassa singled to lead off the third. 

Morningside is back in action Sunday to play Roosevelt and Graceland in Joplin.