Barwick, Harrel Homer to Advance to GPAC Tournament Championship

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – Morningside punched its ticket to the Great Plains Athletic Conference Softball Tournament Championship Series in a big way today, routing top-seeded Dordt in six innings, 13-4.

Dordt got on the board first, but Morningside quickly responded with a run of its own, as an Emma Barwick single brought in Josie Hernandez, who had reached on a single to start the inning, and advanced on an Ashlyn Caniglia single and as Jenna Skradski was hit by a pitch.

The Mustangs kept it going in the third inning, posting six runs on seven hits as Hernandez scored Mackenzi Harrel, Skradski scored Bralen Biddlecome and Hernandez, Barwick scored Caniglia, Amber Dougherty scored Skradski, and Harrel scored Dougherty, flustering Dordt enough to prompt a shuffling of the defense.

More runs were in the forecast for the top of the fourth, with Ali Fletcher pinch running for Hernandez and scoring on a Skradski single before Barwick stepped to the plate and launched a homer down the left field line to score three more. Morningside would score two more runs in the top of the sixth to invoke the mercy rule, as Jalyn Noelle reached on a single ahead of a home run for Harrel. 

Morgan Secora got the start for Morningside, but was forced to exit early with just 2.2 innings pitched. Biddlecome slid from DP to take the rubber, collecting the win with 3.1 innings under her belt, giving up three unearned runs. 

The Mustangs will get a shot at the GPAC Tournament title on Saturday, playing either Midland or Hastings at the site of the highest remaining seed. Midland scored in the bottom of the 10th inning, 5-4, to force the "if necessary" game. A Midland win in the final contest will place the championship in Fremont, while a Hastings victory sends the Mustangs home to the Jensen Softball Complex.