Courtesy of Midland Athletics
YANKTON, S.D. – Midland University traveled to Yankton, South Dakota, on Saturday afternoon for a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) doubleheader against Mount Marty University. The Warriors rallied to win a high-scoring opener, 12-10, but fell in game two as the Lancers’ offense caught fire in a 14-5 defeat.
GAME ONE: Midland 12, Mount Marty 10
Mount Marty jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a leadoff home run and a pair of singles.
Dax Wandler got the Warriors on the board in the third with a leadoff homer. Brody Boylefollowed with a walk, and Chris Ortega singled to put two on. A pair of wild pitches moved the runners and brought Boyle home to tie the game at 2-2.
The Lancers responded with three runs on three hits in the bottom half, reclaiming a 5-2 lead.
Midland answered in the fourth. Eimir Perez led off with a single, and Nate Reyes followed with an RBI double. Wandler then singled to put runners at the corners. A Mount Marty error allowed Kobe Sandstrom to reach and Reyes to score. After Ben Kirkland entered as a courtesy runner, Boyle reached on a fielder’s choice, and Joshua Hardamon singled to load the bases. Ortega then ripped a bases-clearing double to give Midland a 7-5 lead.
The back-and-forth battle continued as Mount Marty tied the game 7-7 with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
In the fifth, Perez singled and later scored on a Lancer error. Ortega drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in another run, pushing the Warriors ahead, 9-7.
Mount Marty responded again with a wild pitch and a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead, 10-9.
After a scoreless sixth, Wandler sparked a seventh-inning rally with a leadoff single. Sandstrom was hit by a pitch, and Kirkland again came in to run. Hardamon and Ortega hit back-to-back doubles to bring home two runs and regain a 12-10 lead.
Brandon Creps shut the door in the ninth to secure the win.
Statistical Standouts
- Chris Ortega: 3-for-4, 6 RBI, 2B
- Dax Wandler: 4-for-4, RBI, 3 R, HR
- Joshua Hardamon: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 R, 2B
- Eimir Perez: 2-for-4, 2 R
GAME TWO: Mount Marty 14, Midland 5
Mount Marty struck early with two runs on three hits in the first inning. They extended the lead to 6-0 in the third with four more hits, including a home run. Another run came in the fourth to make it 7-0.
Midland broke through in the fifth. Jacob Liquori led off with a single, and with two outs, Wandler followed with a hit. Back-to-back doubles from Sotero Ureno and Boyle plated three runs to cut the deficit to 7-3.
The Lancers responded with a solo home run in the fifth and another run in the sixth to stretch their lead to 9-3.
Liquori led off the seventh with a solo homer. Deven Gomez, pinch-hitting, doubled and scored on a single by Ureno, making it 9-5.
Mount Marty pulled away in the eighth with a solo homer followed by a grand slam, pushing the score to 14-5. The Lancers retired the side in the ninth to close out the win.
Statistical Standouts
- Sotero Ureno: 3-for-4, 3 RBI, R, 2B
- Jacob Liquori: 2-for-3, RBI, 2 R, HR
- Deven Gomez: 1-for-1, R, 2B
Midland (17-25, 13-11 GPAC) will look to finish the regular season strong next weekend with a split-site doubleheader with Northwestern (23-15, 12-10 GPAC). The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Friday in Orange City, Iowa, then in Fremont on Saturday.
