Pride mash to finish off dominant series sweep over Missouri Valley
PEOSTA, Iowa - Looking to earn their first Heart of America Athletic Conference series sweep of the 2023 season, the Clarke University baseball team used a dominant pitching performance and explosive offense to power their way to 13-0 and 17-5 wins over Missouri Valley College on Saturday.
Big innings for the Pride told the tale on Saturday as they were able to push out over the 12 total offensive innings two different four-run innings, an eight-run inning, and a nine-run inning as they were able to pound out six home runs, three in each game.
For the second-straight day, one CU player was able to hit a home run in each end of the doubleheader as both the eight-run and nine-run innings were powered by Kainoa Torres home runs, a two-run shot to the deepest part of A.J. Spiegel Park in the first game of the day and he followed it up with a solo shot to right center in game two. Overall on the day, Torres finished the day going 4-for-6 with five RBIs and five runs scored, to continue a torrid stretch at the plate for the junior transfer.
Clarke's eight-run fifth inning in the day's opener saw Bubba Thompson drive in the first run of the inning with a single before he was sent home by the Torres two-run shot, as Kieron Crowder, Maguire Fitzgerald, and Thompson again all added RBIs later in the inning.
Not to be outdone by the offense, game three starting pitcher Tyson Tucker looked like the 2022 version of himself that earned All-Heart First Team as he went six innings of one-hit ball while striking out a season-high 12 Viking hitters for his first start of the season without allowing a single run as Ethan James finished off the seventh for the combined shutout.
As Missouri Valley was looking to make a game of the series finale, jumping out to a 1-0 lead and at a 1-1 score in the bottom of the second, the Vikings decided to walk Brendan O'Connor, who had seen success throughout the series including a two-homer day yesterday, to get to Thomas Brannon as the count worked to full, Brannon crushed a ball to left that left the yard for a grand slam to put the Pride up 5-1 for Brannon's first collegiate home run.
The Vikings would push the score to a three-run game at 6-3 before CU exploded for their nine-run inning that began with the Torres solo home run and saw Clarke almost hit two full times through the order as Crowder added an RBI double, Lara singled home a run, Torres added a two-RBI double, Johnny Blake doubled home a run, and Daniel Phyle added an RBI single all in the inning.
The other three homers on the day came from Victor Lara and Tommy Peterson in game one as Lara hit a two-run homer in the second inning and Peterson's came as a pinch hitter, as he went deep to left for a solo shot in the sixth while another sub late in the second game, Donnie Weaver went deep to left himself for a two-run shot and his first collegiate jack.
Blake returned to the mound after a week off from his pitching duties last week as the Dubuque native went five strong innings allowing only one earned run on five hits will striking out nine batters before Brendan Boily and Nic Cortez each threw an inning in relief with Boily's inning being scoreless.
Clarke baseball will head back to Lamoni, Iowa next Wednesday to make up the final two games of their series against Graceland University that was canceled in March before returning home to host a four-game series against Heart North opponent William Penn University next Saturday and Sunday at A.J. Spiegel Park.