Courtesy of Midland Athletics
YANKTON, S.D. – Coming off a pair of important wins on Monday, No. 12-ranked Midland University was on the road at Mount Marty University on Friday afternoon for a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) doubleheader. After being held scoreless through the first six innings, the Warriors came through with a pair of two-out runs to take the first game and then rode that momentum into a sweep of the Lancers, winning 2-1 and 10-2.
GAME ONE: Midland 2, Mount Marty 1
The Lancers were primed for the upset win in game one as they took a 1-0 lead midway through the contest. In the 4th, a lead-off triple turned into the game’s only run to that point as Mount Marty hit an RBI single. They looked to extend the lead with a sacrifice and another single but were kept to just one run on three hits in the inning.
Midland had trouble getting synced up with the pitcher while at the plate. After getting a pair of hits that amounted to no runs in the 1st, the Warriors were kept to just three hits up to their final at-bat.
Facing their final chance to extend the game, Matti Reiling led off with a single and then moved over to third base via a sacrifice and then infield ground out. With two outs, Ariyana Crafton worked a walk after falling behind in the count. She quickly stole second, looking to draw a throw so that the tying run could come in. The Lancers did not bite though, keeping their lead with the top of the lineup coming up next.
Emily Prai came through with a clutch flare over the third baseman’s head, scoring Reiling on the play. The throw home short-hopped the catcher and Crafton sprinted home and got under the tag attempt to put Midland ahead, 2-1.
Aliyah Rincon struck out the leadoff batter for Mount Marty and then got fly out for the second out. After a line drive to center field for a double, the Lancers’ upset bid was put to rest with a grounder back to the circle handled with ease by Rincon.
Statistical Standouts
- Emily Prai: 1-for-4, RBI
- Amanda Schmaderer: 2-for-3
- Matti Reiling: 1-for-3, R
- Ariyana Crafton: 1-for-2, R, BB, SB
- Aliyah Rincon: 7.0 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 8 K
GAME TWO: Midland 10, Mount Marty 2 (6 innings)
The Warriors’ offense got off to a fast start in game two, scoring four in their first trip to the plate. Emily Prai and Reese Floro set the table with back-to-back singles and then Jayci Reimers delivered a two-RBI single to left. A double by Matti Reiling scored Reimers and then Camille Vestal drove in the fourth run with a single to left.
An inning later, Roni Foote came through with a single to left that scored Ariyana Crafton, who had reached on an error to start the 2nd.
Mount Marty started to battle back in the 3rd with a pair of runs off of three singles when the lineup flipped over for their second turn through the order. Those would prove to be the only runs though as Paeton Coler and the defense retired the next seven batters while the Midland offense pushed the game to the run-rule threshold in the 5th and 6th.
Following an error by the Lancers’ infield to start the 5th, Amanda Schmaderer was able t to come around and score as Reiling singled and Vestal reached on a fielder’s choice. Crafton drove in the second run of the inning with a single and then Vestal raced home on a wild pitch to make it an 8-2 lead.
Needing two runs to put the game on tilt, Schmaderer nearly legged out a single to the left side of the infield as Alexis Page came in to score. A great stretch by the first baseman got the second out of the inning by was unable to bounce up and make a throw as Isabelle Pagan aggressively came in to score the second run.
The Warriors sat the Lancers down in order in the bottom of the 6th, clinching their eighth sweep of the season.
Statistical Standouts
- Emily Prai: 2-for-4, R, RBI, SB
- Reese Floro: 1-for-2, R, BB
- Roni Foote: 2-for-4, RBI
- Jayci Reimers: 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI
- Matti Reiling: 3-for-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, SB
- Ariyana Crafton: 1-for-3, R, RBI
Midland (36-5, 15-1 GPAC) will look to keep pace in the conference standings with a road doubleheader at Briar Cliff (17-18, 5-9 GPAC) on Saturday. The Warriors and Chargers will take the diamond at the Bishop Mueller Complex for game one at 1:00 p.m. on April 20 in Sioux City.
