Woods, Felton spark Mustangs in split with Tigers

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Morningside baseball team split a Great Plains Athletic Conference doubleheader with Dakota Wesleyan on Tuesday, dropping the opener before responding with a strong 7-2 win in Game 2.

In Game 1, the Mustangs battled back multiple times but fell short in an 8-6 decision. After Dakota Wesleyan plated four runs in the first inning, Morningside answered immediately as Conner Maston launched a solo home run.

The Mustangs continued to chip away in the second inning. Luke Froehlich led off with a home run, and aggressive baserunning helped produce another run as Ian Thomas stole second and third before scoring on Michael Delzell's RBI groundout.

Trailing 8-3 entering the sixth, Morningside made one final push. Michael Snyder and Mason King reached to spark the rally, and Connor Woods delivered a two-run double down the left-field line. Thomas followed with an RBI double to right-center, bringing the Mustangs within two.

Morningside, meanwhile, bounced back in Game 2. After falling behind 1-0 in the second inning, the Mustangs quickly responded. Kentaro Felton later delivered a two-run double to right-center, scoring Woods and Jacob O'Dell to give Morningside a 2-1 lead.

The Mustangs broke the game open in the fourth inning with a four-run surge. Delzell reached to start the inning and eventually scored on an RBI single from Maston. Moments later, Kade Yasui came through with a two-run double to right-center, driving in Ian Thomas and Mason King. Yasui later advanced to third, and Maston scored on a wild pitch to cap the inning and extend the lead to 6-1.

Morningside added one more run in the fifth when Woods powered a solo home run to left field, pushing the advantage to 7-1.

The Mustangs finished with 11 hits in the game, getting contributions throughout the lineup. Felton led the way with three hits and two RBIs, while Yasui added two hits and two RBIs.

"I thought we were a lot more focused in Game 2," head coach Adam Boeve said. "We put a lot more quality at-bats."

Maston and O'Dell also recorded multi-hit efforts as Morningside consistently applied pressure offensively.

On the mound, the Mustangs limited Dakota Wesleyan to just three hits. Mason Rego earned the win in relief, while Rhys Fairweather and Zach Neer also appeared in Game 2. Kai Purdy-Burton started the game on a limited pitch count.

"Our pitching staff threw to the strike zone and challenged bats," Boeve said. "Kai came out and put up a zero, then Rego did his thing then turned it over. Rego came in and pitched some adversity and made some really quality pitches. I thought all those guys did a great job on the mound."

Morningside's next GPAC doubleheader is at 1 p.m. Saturday against Midland.