Mustangs dominate, take series with Wildcats
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Mount Mercy recovered from an extra-inning loss to Baker in the series opener, outscoring the Wildcats, 35-5, over the final three games to take the Heart of America Athletic Conference baseball series this weekend at the Robert W. Plaster Athletic Complex.
After tying the game at 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning, the Wildcats got a sacrifice fly in the eighth to defeat the Mustangs, 5-4, in Friday's opener. Jacob Hirayama (FR/Mililani, Hawaii) and David Mitchell (JR/Barrington, Ill.) each drove in a run for Mount Mercy, which only managed six hits off two Wildcat pitchers. Blake Willenborg (SR/Central City, Iowa) was denied his league-leading seventh win, but scattered six hits over 5-1/3 innings while allowing three earned and striking out four. Skylar Frese (SR/Watkins, Iowa) (1-1) went the final 2-2/3 innings.
From there it was all Mustangs, who pounded out 17 hits in a 16-0 rout in game two. Four players had multi-hit games, led by Lyle Fini (SR/Fort Dodge, Iowa), who went 4-for-5 with a home run and six RBI. Chili Moseley (SR/Eldridge, Iowa), Nick Sueppel (SR/Iowa City, Iowa), and Jake Faur (SR/Clinton, Iowa) had two hits apiece while Mitchell, Tyler Dahm (FR/Coralville, Iowa), and Zach Barden (FR/Cedar Rapids, Iowa) each drove in a pair of runs. Left-hander Kobey Schlotman (JR/Coralville, Iowa) (4-2) kept the Wildcat bats in check, allowing no earned runs on four hits while striking out seven and walking one in six innings. Erik Hoffman (JR/Rock Island, Ill.) pitched a perfect seventh inning as well.
Faur and Nolan Frey (FR/Iowa City, Iowa) combined for Mount Mercy's second consecutive shutout in Saturday's opener. The two limited the Wildcats to five hits over seven innings while the Mustang offense tallied 11 more hits in a 10-0 victory. Fini stayed hot at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Kaimana Souza-Paaluhi (JR/Mililani, Hawaii) also went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Barden was 1-for-3 with a double and two runs driven in. Sueppel and Spencer Wiskus (SR/North Liberty, Iowa) each finished with two hits and an RBI. Faur (2-1) didn't allow a run in five innings, scattering four hits while striking out five with one base on balls. Frey gave up just one hit while striking out three in two innings of relief.
Mount Mercy extended Baker's scoreless streak to 19 innings before the Wildcats erupted for five runs in the sixth inning to tie the series finale at 5-5. It didn't last long though. Wiskus drilled a grand slam over the scoreboard in left field on the second pitch of the at-bat in the bottom of the sixth to give the Mustangs a 9-5 win. he ended up 3-for-4 with five RBI. Moseley was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Barden also went 2-for-3. Paaluhi finished 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
The Mustangs (22-8, 11-5 Heart) begin a long road stretch when they travel to Davenport on Tuesday for a non-conference contest at St. Ambrose at 6:00 p.m. They resume Heart of America action next weekend with a 4-game series at Culver-Stockton (8-22, 4-12 Heart) on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.