Morningside celebrates seniors with walk off wins

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Before the Senior Day celebrations could begin Saturday afternoon at the Jensen Softball Complex, the Mustangs needed clutch at-bats from both of their seniors to come away with a pair of walk-off wins over crosstown rival Briar Cliff.

In game one, senior Mackenna Sidzyik scored three runs, including the game winner in an 8-7 victory. In game two, a Kennedee Jones single moved the winning runner, Mackenzi Harrel, to second base, and Harrel would score on an Ellie Gengler single to win the game.

The opener started with Briar Cliff scoring two runs in the top of the first before a Paige Schuster sacrifice fly to score Sidzyik for the first time in the game made it 2-1, Chargers. Briar Cliff added another run in the second, but Morningside took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the inning.

Bralen Biddlecome, the starting pitcher for the Mustangs, hit a solo home run to get the inning started. Schuster singled home Emma Barwick and Harrel doubled home Jenna Skradski to make it 4-3 in favor of the home team. Barwick added an RBI single in the third to give Morningside a 5-3 lead.

Briar Cliff scored two in the fourth and two in the fifth to take a 7-5 lead. Barwick hit a solo home run and Schuster singled home Sidzyik to make it 7-7 after five. Schuster's third RBI-single of the game in the bottom of the seventh sealed an 8-7 win.

Schuster finished the game with four RBI on three hits and a sacrifice fly. Barwick had three hits and two RBI and Harrel had two hits and one run driven in. Sidzyik had two base hits and three runs scored. Barwick also scored twice. In the circle, Biddlecome picked up win number five on the season with the complete game win. Only two of the seven runs Briar Cliff scored were earned, and Biddlecome struck out four.

Game two was less chaotic than game one, as it was 1-0, Chargers, after three innings of play. Morgan Secora joined in on the pitchers hitting home runs plan, crushing a two-run home run of her own to make it 2-1 in favor of Morningside after four. 

After Briar Cliff tied the game at two in the top of the fifth, Gengler hit a bunt single to score Schuster and Secora grounded out, but scored Jones on the play. The Chargers would, again, tie the game up in the sixth, but a Gengler single in the seven gave Morningside its' second walk-off win of the day and the third in four games.

Jones, the other Morningside senior alongside Sidzyik, tallied three hits and one run scored in game two. Secora had two hits and three RBI, while Gengler had two singles and two runs driven in. Schuster continued her tear at the plate with two base hits, including a double. Secora pitched the complete game in the circle, striking out five over seven innings, earning her eighth win of the season.

Morningside is back in action at Dakota State Tuesday in non-conference play.