Stangs get the sweep in Orange City

ORANGE CITY, IOWA – Morningside continued to roll through its Great Plains Athletic Conference baseball schedule today, sweeping Northwestern on the road. The Mustangs came out on top in game 1, 10-2, before securing the sweep, 9-2, in game 2.

Morningside's offense, which is ranked in the top 10 in every statistical category except for stolen bases, continued to click, with five batters having multiple hits in game 1, including Jayson Willers, who had three hits. Ryan Kiolbassa, Alex Calabrese, Brian Garcia, and Carter Ades each had a pair of hits.

Willers had the big hit, knocking a solo home run to left center in the third. Calabrese had a pair of doubles, while Willers and Ades each had a one two-bagger. Willers had three RBIs, Kiolbassa had two, and Calabrese, Garcia, Ades, Nick Grajeda, and Elijah Rude each had one.

The Mustangs pitched the day's opener by committee, with Aiden Bishop throwing two innings in the start, giving up one run and striking out one. Cade Nolan threw 1.1 scoreless innings, Josh Thurman gave up an unearned run as he threw 1.2 innings, and Jackson Stephen closed out the game with two scoreless innings, securing the win.

Game two saw Josh Pratt on the mound, scattering five hits across seven innings, striking out one in the complete game win.

Hunter Hope had the hot bat for Morningside, recording three hits in the second game. Rude, Kiolbassa, and Garcia all had two-hit games.

Willers led the RBI race in the Mustang dugout, leading the team with three, knocking a two-run homer and bringing one in on a groundout. Garcia had a pair of RBIS, and Hope, Rude, and Kiolbassa each had one.

Kiolbassa and Rude joined Willers with round-trip hits, going yard in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively.

Morningside continues its current six-game road trip, playing a doubleheader in Hastings, Neb. at 1 p.m. on Saturday.