MITCHELL, S.D. – In its final week of the regular season and first action on the newly renovated Drake Field, the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball program endured a doubleheader sweep at the hands of conference foe Morningside University in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) action on Monday afternoon in Mitchell, S.D. Morningside used a late spurt to claim the opener, 11-5, and held on for the 5-3 victory in game two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After two scoreless frames and quick work by both teams, Morningside erupted in the top of the third inning and worked a 6-0 lead. The Mustangs (28-14, 14-10 GPAC), who struck three extra-base knocks, executed a multitude of successful bunts while MOR first baseman Aiden Bishop concluded the frame with the base-clearing grand slam.
Dakota Wesleyan slowly chipped away at the Mustang lead starting with a 2-out double down the left field line by senior outfielder Cameron Quigley in the bottom of the third stanza which plated fellow Tiger (13-26, 7-17 GPAC) outfielder Bradley Dean and cut the MOR benefit to 6-1. Daulton Wilcoxen continued the offensive flow at the plate for DWU in the bottom of the fourth stanza with a ground-rule double to advance Luke LeMay and plate Wyatt Hunt. The Blue and Gray clocked a trio of doubles while Jacob Hammons capped off the fourth inning with an RBI single, and the Tigers trailed 6-3 through four frames of action.
A Drew Kitchens single led off the fifth stanza and ignited a consecutive 2-run inning for head coach Charlie Dubanoski and company, who pulled to within a run, 6-5, after a Wilcoxen base-on balls with the bases juiced for the Tigers. However, Morningside clamped the door shut as the Mustangs plated a heartbreaking five runs in its final at bat assisted by a Hunter Hope 2-run homerun.
Jereko Martinez, who took the bump to start game two, surrendered just one hit in the opening frame, and the DWU offense responded with the first run of the finale in the bottom half of the stanza. Quigley managed a knock past the shortstop while Matt Bezdicek followed suit with an RBI single to the opposite field for the early 1-0 advantage.
Neither team produced a run in the second inning, and Morningside engineered its first lead of the second game with a run in third inning and two more baserunners brought home in the fifth stanza. Michael Zeman helped the Tigers escape any further damage with an unassisted putout to end third frame while Martinez and Bezdicek worked the pickoff to conclude the top half of the fifth frame. Though, MOR balanced the 4-2 edge through six complete innings of play.
Down to its final three outs of the afternoon, Hunt scorched a double to deep center with one out which scored Quigley. Wilcoxen managed to keep the game alive reaching with two outs, though the Mustangs held on for the series sweep with the 5-3 road win.
UP NEXT
DWU entertains its final non-conference outing of the season with a midweek, single-game tilt versus in-state challenger Presentation College tomorrow set for 5 p.m. from Fossum Field in Aberdeen, S.D.