Game 1
Morningside College
Game 2
Morningside College
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team continued Great Plains Athletic Conference play over the holiday weekend, dropping two to Morningside College Saturday in Sioux City, Iowa.
The Tigers fell behind 5-0 to the Mustangs in game one before rallying to within one run before, but the home team held on for a 6-5 win. Morningside put up five runs in the first and fourth innings picked up an 11-8 win in game two. The losses drop DWU to 9-17 overall and 1-7 in the GPAC.
In game one, the Tigers started to chip away at the early Morningside lead with a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Sophomore Hartman Katz (Huron, S.D.) delivered a pinch-hit double to drive in a pair to bring the Tigers within three runs. After the Mustangs tacked on a run in the bottom of the fifth, DWU responded in the sixth. Sophomore Jared Neilan (Pierre, S.D.) drove in two runs with a single, while junior Austin Calhoon (Winner, S.D.) pulled the Tigers within a run with an RBI single of his own. Neilan was tagged out at home later in the inning trying to steal.
DWU managed to get the tying run on base in the seventh inning of a seven-inning game, but Morningside held on. Neilan and Calhoon each finished with two hits for the Tigers, who committed four errors in the game. Starting pitcher Patrick Whetham (Garretson, S.D.) took the loss for DWU, going three and 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, three earned on five hits and struck out two.
DWU started strong in game two with three runs in the first inning to take an early lead. Sophomore Chris Combs (Corvallis, Mont.) and Neilan each picked up RBI singles in the opening frame. Morningside fought back in a hurry with five runs in the bottom of the first and took the lead for good.
Down 11-4 in the sixth inning, DWU did bring home four runs to close the gap, but Morningside shut the Tigers down in the final three innings for the sweep.
The Tigers step out of GPAC play for a doubleheader against the University of Winnipeg (Can.) at 1 p.m. Monday at Cadwell Park in Mitchell, S.D.