Late Surge Lifts Midland Over Mount Marty, 12–10
YANKTON, S.D. – In a high-scoring back-and-forth affair, Midland used a three-run rally in the seventh inning to edge Mount Marty, 12–10, in GPAC action Tuesday afternoon at Riverside Field. With the win, the Warriors improve to 16–24 overall and 12–10 in conference play, while the Lancers drop to 24–16 and 11–11.
Mount Marty jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first, highlighted by Aidan Chang's solo home run and an RBI single from Joe Gokie. The Lancers added three more runs in the third, with Ryan Bachman driving in two and Shugo Kondo adding an RBI groundout.
Midland responded with a five-run fourth inning, capped by Ortega's three-run double after RBI hits from Nate Reyes and Kobe Sandstrom. The Lancers quickly tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a two-run single from Jalen Owens.
Mount Marty regained the lead in the fifth as Gokie scored on a wild pitch and Will Gardner launched a two-run home run to make it 10–9. However, the lead didn't hold, as Midland pushed across three runs in the top of the seventh. Joshua Hardamon tied the game with an RBI double before Ortega delivered the final blow with another two-run double.
For Mount Marty, Owens went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three stolen bases, while Gardner added two hits, including his two-run homer. Chang finished 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI double.
Zach Hegge (0-1) took the loss in relief, allowing three runs on three hits over two innings. Starter Slayder Watterson went four innings, giving up seven runs (five earned) on seven hits while striking out five.
The two teams combined for 22 runs on 22 hits in a game that featured six lead changes.
Mount Marty Rolls Past Midland with 14-5 Victory Behind Big Bats
YANKTON, S.D. – Mount Marty University put together a dominant offensive performance to take down Midland University 14-5 on Tuesday afternoon at Riverside Field. The Lancers racked up 19 hits and blasted four home runs in a statement win that evened the day's doubleheader.
Senior catcher Aidan Chang led the charge, going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and five RBIs, including a grand slam in the eighth inning that put the game out of reach. Shugo Kondo added a home run of his own and drove in four runs while going 3-for-5. Joe Gokie also homered and finished with two hits and two RBIs, and Lucas Kampshoff doubled and knocked in a pair.
The Lancers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first and never looked back, adding crooked numbers in the third, fourth, fifth, and eighth innings. Mount Marty scored in six of their eight offensive innings and saw eight different players collect hits, with five registering multi-hit games.
On the mound, Palmer Jacobs earned the win, tossing seven innings and allowing five runs on 11 hits, striking out five without issuing a walk. Jay Neugebauer came on in relief and closed the door with two shutout innings, striking out three to earn the save.
