
Championship-bound Mustangs shutout Dordt 7-0
FREMONT, NEB. – Staying focused was the name of the game for Morningside as the Mustangs saw their game time slip several hours due to weather conditions. The delays proved to be of no consequence for the Sioux City squad, as Morningside won 7-0 over Dordt, taking the fastest route out of the Midland bracket of the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament.
FREMONT, NEB. – Staying focused was the name of the game for Morningside as the Mustangs saw their game time slip several hours due to weather conditions. The delays proved to be of no consequence for the Sioux City squad, as Morningside won 7-0 over Dordt, taking the fastest route out of the Midland bracket of the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament.
Morgan Secora got the complete game win and a bruise to go with it, as a comebacker to the circle glanced off her late in the contest. The junior remained poised, laughing off the hit and coming back to record two strikeouts and an assist in the final inning, ending the day with just six Defender baserunners on four hits and a walk, striking out five.
Morningside got on the board in the second inning as an engineered steal saw Ellie Gengler, who reached on a single and advanced courtesy of Secora, take the plate as Emma Barwick advanced to second base.
Paige Schuster was first to cross the plate in the third inning, lacing a single down the left field line, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt for Jalyn Noelle, and moving to third on a single by Mackenzi Harrel. A sacrifice fly for Lainie Keller scored Noelle and advanced Harrel after a second attempt at drawing the throw to second put Harrel into scoring position. Jenna Skradski doubled to left center to score Harrel from third.
In the fifth, Keller set the table with a single, taking third on a Skradski single. Skradski followed Keller to second on the play. Gengler attempted a sacrifice bunt, but settled for a sacrifice fly to score Keller and move Skradski 60 feet closer.
Secora followed Gengler in the box and was hit by a pitch. After filling first base, she was lifted in order to give Ali Fletcher an opportunity to pinch run. Barwick then laced a single up the middle to score Skradski and put runners on first and second. Addyson Maxell walked to reload the bases and prompt a Dordt pitching change.
Schuster tagged the new pitcher for a two RBI single, scoring Fletcher and Barwick and putting runners on first and second before the final out of the inning.
Morningside advances to the GPAC Softball Championship Series at Northwestern on Monday, with the games getting underway at 2 p.m. By virtue of taking, at least, the tournament runner-up spot behind regular season champion Northwestern, has qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Softball Opening Round.