Veteran Hurlers Lead Warriors to Sweep of Chargers

FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University baseball was firing on all cylinders on Saturday afternoon en route to a Great Plains Athletic Conference sweep of Briar Cliff University. The Warriors took game one by a score of 12-0 and clinched a 3-1 win in game two. Midland improves to 15-16 overall and 5-7 in the GPAC while Briar Cliff drops to 22-9 overall at 6-6 in the conference.
Game One: Midland 12, Briar Cliff 0
The Warriors got on board early with three runs in the first inning. Two runs came in off a single to center by Dakota Thornton with the third run crossing home on a groundout from Connor Peterson. Starting pitcher James Scurto got out of his first jam of the afternoon in the second inning when a one-out double was stranded after inducing two lazy flyouts.
Midland continued to pour on the runs when two, two-out, two-RBI homers from Chase Reynolds and Dakota Thornton saw the home team up 7-0 after two innings of work. The third inning saw the lead extend to 8-0 when crafty base running allowed Nichols to score from third. Briar Cliff responded with a one-out double in the top of the fourth, followed by a walk to put a pair aboard. Scurto forced a fly out to left for the second out, and an attempted steal by the Chargers was denied by Midland catcher Allen for the final out.
The Warriors got things going again in the bottom of the fourth after a leadoff single from Sam Braun and a fielding error had two on base. Briar Cliff’s pitcher loaded the bases with a hit by pitch, and a single to center from Peterson plated two, bringing the lead to 10-0. Jack Barrios followed with a ball blasted to left that was misplayed by the outfielder to score another two runs, putting Midland up 12-0. Scurto closed the door in the remaining innings, picking up two strikeouts along the way, the secure the dominant win for the home team.
Statistical Leaders:
–        Chase Reynolds: 2-of-4, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 2 runs
–        Dakota Thornton: 2-of-2, 4 RBI, 1 HR, 3 runs
–        Connor Peterson: 1-of-3, 3 RBI, 1 run
–        James Scurto: 7.0 IP, 4 hits, 4 K, 0 ER
Game Two: Midland 3, Briar Cliff 1
The second game of the afternoon featured a pitcher’s duel through the first three innings as neither side allowed a runner to pass second base. The Warriors had enough of the waiting around in the fourth inning as back-to-back singles from Peyton Garbers and Thornton had runners on the corners. Matt Abdelnour stepped up to the plate and executed a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Garbers from third for a 1-0 edge.
The Chargers hit back in the top of the fifth after a solo home run to left field tied the score at 1-1 and ended Midland’s 11 inning shutout streak over Briar Cliff. Midland’s starting pitcher Brendon Jones responded with a strikeout and fly out to get his team out of the inning. Jones notched five strikeouts in the following three innings to keep things tied heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Reynolds led off the frame with a hit by pitch and was scored from first off a Garbers double to left-center, giving Midland a 2-1 advantage. Thornton followed with a walk to bring Abdelnour up to bat. The senior smoked a single up the middle to score Garbers for his second RBI of the game. Briar Cliff managed to get out of the frame without allowing more damage to be done, but the 3-1 lead stood heading into the final inning. Abdelnour came in to close out the game on the mound and picked up two straight strikeouts. The Chargers singled to put a runner on, and a double followed to find runners on the corners with two down. Abdelnour closed the door with his third K of the inning to secure Midland’s 3-1 win.
Statistical Leaders:
–        Matt Abdelnour: 1-of-3, 2 RBI, 1.0 IP, 3 K
–        Peyton Garbers: 2-of-3, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1 2B
–        Dakota Thornton: 1-of-3, 1 BB
–        Brendon Jones: 8.0 IP, 4 hits, 11 K, 1 ER
Up Next:
Midland (15-16, 5-7 GPAC) will take the four-game win streak into a home doubleheader versus Great Plains Athletic Conference foe Doane University (19-10-1, 10-2 GPAC) on Saturday, April 10. The Warriors are riding a nine-game win streak against the Tigers heading into Saturday’s contest.