Mustangs sweep Senior Day doubleheader over Waldorf

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Saturday was truly a fun day all around for the Morningside University baseball team.

After honoring 13 seniors before the doubleheader against Waldorf at Bishop Mueller Field, the Mustangs (28-12-1, 15-9 GPAC) swept the Warriors by scores of 14-3 and 8-4. The two wins puts Morningside solely in third place with a four-game series next weekend against Mount Marty.

The 13 seniors honored before the game were: Will Brandner, Giacomo Crosetti, Cal Eckstaine, Alex Godfredsen, Trey Hansen, Joe Harris, Mason Hymer, Ryan Kiolbassa, Tyler Lawrence, Nate Parker, Josh Pratt, Brady Seuntjens, and Tanner Vercellino.

"It was a great day to play, and to recognize our seniors," head coach Adam Boeve said. "To play baseball the way we did was great. We came out with a lot of energy and execution. Putting up runs all day was fun to see."

The Mustangs didn't score in the first inning of Game 1, but the bats came alive in the following two innings where they scored all 14 runs unanswered over three innings.

Corder Noun Harder and Kiolbassa had RBI singles in the second, and Jacob O'Dell had a two-run single that scored Jaxon Bunkers and Noun Harder.

Then, in a six-run third inning, Luke Blackmon hit a two-run home run and Kiolbassa later hit a two-run single that ended up being a little-league home run. Kiolbassa advanced on a throwing error from the catcher, and sprinted all the way home.

Morningside added four more runs during the fifth inning. Crosetti and O'Dell both had two-run singles to put runs 11 through 14 on the board. Both of those men combined to have seven hits during the sweep. 

Kai Purdy-Burton earned his fifth win of the season. He held the Warriors to two runs. He also struck out three.

Seuntjens pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings, and Vercellino pitched the seventh inning, allowing a run on the final play of the game.

Morningside came out strong in Game 2, as it jumped out to a 6-0 lead through three innings. Michael Snyder drove in Michael Delzell to get the scoring started, while Connor Woods and Crosetti also drove in runs during that stretch.

Jaxon Bunkers homered for the first time as a Mustang in the eighth inning, while Delzell also drove in a run on an RBI groundout. On the day, Bunkers was 5-for-6 and struck out just once. 

Lawrence came in for his first start of the season, going three innings. He threw 58 pitches in his first start.

"Tyler came in to start, in a 'to be determined' start, and we let him know that he was going to start," Boeve said. "He's not that extended on that pitch count, but he did his job. Waldorf had a hard time picking up his pitches."

Zach Koelfgen earned the win. He pitched two innings, and needed 28 pitches to record his six outs.

"Zach has been getting back into the swing of things, and it was great to see him pitch in relief," Boeve said. "He's got really great stuff. When he commands his stuff, and he has the ability to pitch what he wants in any count, he's really tough to hit."

Pratt, Rhys Fairweather, and Sam Hanson also appeared as relievers.