Offense lifts Mustangs to unbeaten weekend

JOPLIN, MO. – Back-to-back late-inning rallies Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23-24, propelled Morningside College towards ending their stay in southwestern Missouri with an unblemished record.

The Mustangs, upping their season mark to 5-1, tallied 11 runs over their final three at-bats against Waldorf University for a 12-7 decision Saturday. In Sunday's 11-10 thriller against Graceland University, head coach Adam Boeve's answered a comeback by the visitors that forced extra innings with two in the bottom of the eighth.

Senior outfielder Andrew Kasperbauer (Sioux City, Iowa) rapped an RBI single to plate sophomore outfielder Levi Davidson with the tying run in the home half of the eighth versus Graceland. As a Graceland outfielder tried to come up with a running throw home to cut down the equalizer, the ball escaped and rolled to the fence allowing Kasperbauer to circle the bases with the game decider. The senior was one of three Maroon players to forge two RBI versus the Yellowjackets, as freshman infielder Nic Metcalf (Sedro Wooley, Wash.) and sophomore infielder Jordan Pierce (Carlisle, Iowa) also added a pair apiece.

Sunday, the one-two portion of the line-up proved lethal to Waldorf's pitching staff. Davidson went two for four with a run scored and three RBI, while junior designated hitter Sam Huska (Windom, Minn.) went five for five with four RBI. The duo each added an extra-base knock to their lines with Huska doubling and Davidson tripling, while Pierce clouted a solo home run to add to the highlights.

Morningside is scheduled to return to the diamond in Tucson, Ariz., March 14 and 15 to begin the Great Plains Athletic Conference slate with four games against Dordt.