McPherson turns away Mustangs, completes series sweep

MCPHERSON, KS. – Junior Reece Blay (JR/ Council Bluffs, IA) (Council Bluffs, Iowa) smashed a pair of singles and scored a run, while freshman Wade Canaday (FR/Marshalltown, IA) (Marshalltown, Iowa) drove in a run to spotlight a close-knit nightcap loss Monday, Feb. 17.

Blay pieced together his third multiple-hit game of the year in keeping his average above the .400 mark (.412). Canaday's run-batted-in stopped a three-outing drought of not doing so and moved him to four on the season, good for a tie for fourth on the Mustangs' charts. Junior pitcher Billy Mount (JR/Burbank, S.D.) (Burbank, S.D.) battled through five innings against the high-flying McPherson College offense, striking out three in the process but the Bulldogs posted single tallies in the first, second and fourth frames and broke open the contest with three in the sixth to conclude a 6-1 win that wound up a weekend non-conference sweep.

Game one of the second day doubleheader was all Bulldogs from the beginning. Head coach Adam Boeve's side took a 1-0 lead in the second when speedy junior Adam Carlson (JR/Baldwin City, KS) (Baldwin City, Ks.) took advantage of a slow-developing ground out and scored from second. From that point, the hosts pieced together a 16-run rally over the third through sixth innings which led to a 16-1 final.

Morningside (4-6) looks to end a four-game skid when they travel to Joplin, Mo., for games against the University of St. Mary of Kansas, William Penn University, Grand View University and Columbia College of Missouri Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 and 22.