'Keep that urgency high:' Mustangs win both elimination tournament games

YANKTON, S.D. — The Morningside University baseball team on Thursday knew it had to play clean baseball to advance to the pod championship in the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament.

The Mustangs won both "win-or-go home" contests to advance to Friday's pod title games against Mount Marty, by first defeating Northwestern 10-3, then topping Doane 6-5 in a close-knit nightcap.

"We just have to keep that sense of urgency high," said head baseball coach Adam Boeve. "When we don't hurt ourselves, we are tough to beat. We're a very, very good team. Today, we played solid baseball games."

Morningside (35-13-1) scored early during both games, setting the necessary tone right away.

In Game 1, the Mustangs scored six times in the first inning against the Red Raiders. The first four hitters reached base, including two homers from Michael Delzell and Jacob O'Dell. Sam Wilt also had an RBI double, and in his second at-bat of the inning, Ryan Kiolbassa drove in two with a single.

"We needed those runs," Boeve said. "Coming up big in spots to extend a lead, you need every single run you can get."

Kiolbassa and Jaxon Bunkers tacked on three more runs in the fifth inning, while Luke Blackmon lifted a ball over the wall for a solo home run during the seventh inning.

Giacomo Crosetti also hit a double and stole a base in the Game 1 win.

Mason Hymer allowed three runs in six innings, giving him his second win of the season. Brady Seuntjens and Joe Harris also pitched in relief during the matinee.

In the evening contest against the Tigers, the Mustangs scored thrice in the opening inning. Michael Snyder knocked in two with a double, then Crosetti doubled a few pitches later to score home Nathan Thomas to make it a 3-0 score.

Doane took the lead, with rallies in the second and third innings. Morningside urgently responded during the third, as Blackmon hit a ball up the middle that scored O'Dell. That tied the game at 4-4.

That's when redshirt sophomore Zach Koelfgen took to the mound for an extended performance, one he's been looking forward to for some time.

Making his seventh relief appearance on Thursday, Koelfgen pitched four solid innings in relief.

Koelfgen relieved Kai Purdy-Burton off the mound, after Purdy-Burton pitched four innings. One of those innings included getting out of a bases-loaded jam.

Koelfgen limited the Tigers to just one run throughout those four innings, and he also struck out seven.

"I just love these guys, and I missed a lot of time, and I want to give it my all for them," said the redshirt sophomore from Longmont, Colorado. "It's just hard seeing me away, and I missed a lot of time here."

Koelfgen threw 70 pitches, with 48 of them being called strikes.

"I threw a lot of sliders for strikes," he said. "I've been pitching for a little while. There was no pressure; just go out there and throw for my boys."

Koelfgen got to pitch with a lead late, thanks to a Delzell RBI groundout that ended up being the go-ahead run. Bunkers later scored in that sixth inning off a Doane throwing error.

Sam Hanson pitched the ninth inning for the Mustangs. The Tigers ended up getting a run back, but he got outs 2 and 3 after allowing the sacrifice fly.

With the win, the Mustangs will play Friday at noon against Mount Marty. Morningside must win twice to advance to Monday's GPAC Championship Game.

"We have to keep grinding and keep winning innings," Boeve said. "We have multitudes of players who will seize those moments. We have to play the game and just execute."