Courtesy of Midland Athletics
CRETE, Neb. – Facing elimination from the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Tournament, Midland University took on Morningside University on Saturday in Crete, Nebraska. The Warriors led through four innings before a big fifth inning by the Mustangs propelled them to the 5-4 win. The loss caps off Midland’s record at 25-22 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Warriors were the first to strike as they pushed across a run in the 2nd and another in the 3rd.
Bakari Gayle led off the 2nd with a single to the pitcher and then stole second to get into scoring position. A throwing error on the play allowed him to move over to third with nobody out. After a groundout and a strikeout, Tyler Struck came through with an RBI single to left-center.
In the 3rd, Beau Boyle got on base as the leadoff hitter following an error by the Mustangs’ infield. Chase Reynolds sacrificed him over to second and then the Dakota Thornton drove Boyle in with a single through the left side of the infield.
Morningside’s big inning came in the top of the 5th as they scored four runs on four hits while taking advantage of a pair of Midland errors along the way. They would get another run in the 7th, pushing their lead to 5-2.
Down by not out, the Warriors mounted a comeback in the bottom of the 7th. Alec Villanueva opened the inning with a single and then Boyle, Reynolds, and Thornton got singles as well. Thornton’s hit drove in Villanueva while Boyle came in via an error by the shortstop to pull Midland within a run.
Unfortunately, that ended up to be all the scoring for the game as the Mustangs’ reliever came on and recorded the final nine outs while only allowing two hits.
Tyler Seebaum earned the start in his final game as a Warrior. He went 4.1 innings while allowing three earned and striking out one batter. Trey Nichols worked 1.2 innings with three strikeouts while Keegan Adams pitched the final 3.0 innings, earning three strikeouts as well.
STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Beau Boyle: 1-for-5, 2 R
- Dakota Thornton: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, SB
- Bakari Gayle: 2-for-5, R, SB
Midland’s season ends with a 25-22 mark overall and a 12-16 record in the conference. They finished eighth in the GPAC thanks in part to a 12-6 record at Moller Field. The Warriors will look to retool their lineup in the offseason as they say goodbye to several key members from the 2022 season.
