LINCOLN, Neb. — The sixth-seeded Dakota Wesleyan Tigers broke open a tight game with a pair of big innings and held off a late rally to defeat No. 3 Morningside Mustangs 12-9 Wednesday in the opening round of the Great Plains Athletic Conference baseball tournament at Sherman Field.
Morningside struck first in the opening inning when Michael Snyder delivered an RBI single to right field, scoring Kade Yasui for a 1-0 lead.
DWU responded in the third inning, capitalizing on an error and timely hitting. Lane Darrow and Landon Ruesink scored on a throwing error by the pitcher before Talan Ball drove in two runs with a single to right field. Mason Riley added an RBI sacrifice fly, giving the Tigers a 4-1 advantage.
The Tigers extended the lead in the fifth with a six-run outburst. Kelbee Woodham and Talan Ball scored on a walk and a single by Shane Cowan, followed by an RBI walk from Ean Laird. Caleb Meyers added a two-run single to right, pushing the lead to 10-1.
Morningside answered in the bottom half of the fifth when Yasui launched a three-run home run to right field, scoring Ian Thomas and Michael Delzell and cutting the deficit to 10-4.
DWU added insurance in the ninth. Mason Riley scored on a wild pitch, and Landon Ruesink grounded out to drive in Brett Groebner, making it 12-4.
The Mustangs mounted a late push in the ninth inning, scoring five times. Yasui added an RBI single, Jacob O’Dell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Michael Snyder drew an RBI walk, Connor Woods added a sacrifice fly, and Jaxon Bunkers delivered an RBI double. The rally pulled Morningside within 12-9 before DWU closed it out.
Brayden Cherrey earned the win for the Tigers, while Cade Nolan took the loss for Morningside.
The victory moves DWU into the winner’s bracket, where it will continue its pursuit of a berth in the GPAC championship round.