Baseball Wins Twice to Earn 20th Win of Season

Doane Baseball played host to Morningside on Saturday afternoon in Crete after a location change was made late on Friday. The Tigers were the visiting team on the scoreboard in both games and would end the day with a pair of wins to improve to 20-4 on the season and 6-0 in the GPAC. Doane won the opener, 13-1, and game two, 10-5. The Tigers have scored double-digits in runs in three straight games, the second time this season they have accomplished the mark.

In game one, Doane took the lead in the second inning with a leadoff home run by Nate Mensik. Morningside tied the game in the third inning on a ground out. The Tigers responded in the top of the fourth inning with three runs. Mensik opened the inning with an infield single and scored on a single by Logan Amick. An error would allow Amick to score with Luke LaChance would plate Justin Nevells.

Doane added a run in the fifth inning before plating eight runs in the sixth inning. The big hit in the inning was a three-run home run by Mensik.

As the offense opened up their lead, the Tigers were receiving a strong pitching performance out of Aaron Forrest. He finished with a complete game victory for Doane, throwing 7.0 innings and scattering five hits while striking out six. 

Doane posted 17 hits in the game, a season-high, with four players having three hits apiece. Mensik was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and four RBI. Jack Tillman was 3-for-3 with his courtesy runner, James Griess, scoring two runs. Amick was 3-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI. Nevells was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. LaChance added two hits and two RBI while Narumi Okayasu had two RBI in the game.

Morningside scored the first run of game two and the teams went back-and-forth early on. Doane took a 2-1 lead after the top of the second inning as an error plated the runs. The Mustangs bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the second only to see the Tigers tie the game in the top of the third on a Mensik RBI-single.

Doane scored a single run in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to take a 6-3 lead. LaChance and Brett Meyer had sacrifice flies to plate runs while Mensik had an RBI-single. Morningside scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to pull within a run, 6-5.

The Tigers answered with two runs in the seventh and two in the ninth to seal the win. Okayasu had an RBI-single and Cristian Yanez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh with Nevells picking up an RBI-triple and Ben Grigsby an RBI-single for the ninth inning runs.

Five pitchers took the mound for the Tigers in the game. Julian Vargas threw 3.0 innings, allowing three runs on one hits and five walks while striking out three. Jake Johnson threw 2.0 innings, picking up the win as he allowed two hits during his outing.  Hyunjun Chung threw 0.1 of an inning, allowing two runs on a hit and two walks. Raidyn Steele posted 2.2 innings of work, allowing two hits and striking out two. Kyler Beekman threw the final inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.

The offense posted 11 hits in the game, led by Mensik and Nevells once again. Mensik was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI while Nevells was 3-for-3 with four runs scored and one RBI. Okayasu added two hits in the game.

Doane and Morningside will complete their four game series on Monday, March 27, in Sioux City with first pitch scheduled for 1 PM.