Morningside drops a pair at Doane Saturday

CRETE, Neb. – The Mustangs made the trip to Crete, Nebraska for an early morning doubleheader with Doane, and the Tigers picked up a pair of wins over the Mustangs on the second-to-last day of the regular season.

Due to a potential threat of severe weather Saturday afternoon, the doubleheader started at 9 a.m. to try and finish before stormy weather could arrive. The Tigers won game one 4-3 and game two 12-5.

Morningside scored first in the opening inning of game one, as a failed pickoff attempt and throwing error from the pitcher allowed Jayson Willers to score. Doane scored one in the second and two in the fifth to make it 3-1. 

Both sides scored a run in the sixth, first with a Giacomo Crosetti RBI-single for the Mustangs, then a solo home run for the Tigers.

Eddie Brancato singled to left in the top of the seventh to score Luke Blackmon, but the Mustangs weren't able to score from there and the Tigers sealed a win.

Brian Garcia went 3-for-4 in game one. Five other Mustangs knocked base hits. Kai Purdy-Burton went the distance, tossing six innings with five strikeouts. 

The Mustangs kept things close until the sixth, when the Tigers scored five runs to pull away with the game two win. 

Eddie Brancato hit a two-run home run to get the Mustang scoring started. Morningside led 4-3 after five and a half innings thanks to Aiden Bishop walking in a run and Blackmon hit into a double play, but a run scored on the play. After the Tigers pulled away with the lead, Ryan Kiolbassa singled home another run.

Kiolbassa went 4-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Garcia added two hits and two runs scored. Brancato's lone hit was the two-run bomb. Cade Nolan pitched five innings striking out four in the no decision. Luke Mar took the loss in relief of Nolan. Tiago Sanchez and Tanner Vercellino also pitched in the loss.

The Mustangs and Tigers are back in action Sunday. The games have been moved to Den Hartog Field in Lincoln, Nebraska and the start time has moved to 2 p.m.