Tigers win first conference game of season against Mustangs

YANKTON, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team split its doubleheader showdown with Morningside College, picking up their first Great Plains Athletic Conference win of the season. DWU downed Morningside 5-2 in the first game and came up just short in the second game, losing 6-4 on Saturday in Yankton, S.D.

 Ethan Davis (Billings, Mont.) started on the mound in the first game and got off to a hot start. He faced six batters through the first two innings and struck out two batters.

 In the top of the third inning, Cole Hellie (Phoenix, Ariz.) knocked an RBI double to left field to score the first run of the game. One batter later, Seth Christiansen (Victor, Idaho) recorded an RBI double, while Cameron Quigley (Newcastle, Wyo.) notched the third RBI double to give the Tigers (6-10, 1-5 GPAC) a 3-0 lead.

 The Mustangs (13-17, 5-3 GPAC) chipped away at the DWU lead over the next two frames as they made it a 3-2 game with DWU leading by one run.

 In the top of the fifth and runners in scoring position, Jacob Hammons (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) connected on a two-run double to right field to push the Tiger lead back to three runs.

 Davis and the DWU defense held the Mustangs off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game as they picked up the 5-2 victory, clinching their first GPAC victory of the season.

 Hellie finished 2-for-2 with an RBI at the plate along with two doubles, while Hammons went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a double. Davis picked up his second victory of the season on the mound as he pitched all seven innings, striking out eight batters.

 The second game began in the favor of the Tigers as Jarod Jones (Edmond, Okla.) connected on an RBI single in the second inning to give DWU an early 1-0 lead.

 The Mustangs added one run over each of the following four innings to hold a 4-2 lead heading into the seventh inning. In the bottom of the seventh frame, Morningside tallied two runs to extend its lead a 6-2 advantage.

 With one final chance to force extra innings, Drew DeMers (Winner, S.D.) knocked a single in the top of the ninth to try and kickstart a late rally. Jones nailed a two-run homerun over the centerfield fence to cut the DWU deficit to two runs.

 Despite a single by Christiansen one batter later, the Tigers failed to score again as they dropped the second game by a score of 6-4.

 Jones finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a homerun, as DeMers went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Patrick Starr (Overland Park, Kan.) was tagged with the loss as he pitched 4.2 innings, striking out three batters.

 The Tigers host their first game of the season against Midland University at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. tomorrow at Cadwell Park in Mitchell.