Pride can't carry momentum into Saturday games against Missouri Baptist and Doane
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke (IA) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| Missouri Baptist | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke (IA) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| Doane (NE) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | X | 16 | 14 | 0 |
Missouri Baptist
Doane (NE)
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Following an extra inning win on Friday, the Clarke University baseball team dropped both of their Saturday games, the first to Missouri Baptist University 6-4 then to Doane University 16-3 in St. Louis, Mo.
Opening the day with a morning matchup against the Spartans, the Pride went back-and-forth with MBU over the first four innings with home runs creating all of the lead changes with Alex Adams hitting a solo shot in the first inning and Blane Besse hitting a three-run home run to take it from a 4-3 game to the eventual 6-4 final.
Jin Hattori had a big day overall for CU that started with a third inning three-run home run to make it a 4-2 Clarke lead after Alden Brown initially tied the game in the top of the second with a single to center field to make it 1-1 after the Adams home run.
Entering the game out of the bullpen in the fifth inning, Ethan Hefel was able to keep the game at a two-run margin with two scoreless inning only allowing one hit in eight baters faced and throwing 32 pitches.
Against Doane, the Tigers were able to put up a pair of three-run innings in the first and second innings, answering the Pride jumping out 1-0 in the top of the first and Dean Ormonde hitting a solo home run in the second to make it a 3-2 game before a Narumi Okayasu three-run home run in the bottom half extended DU's lead to four runs at the time.
Doane was more successful at cashing in on their chances than Clarke as the Tigers only had two more hits in the game than the Pride but also received nine more free baserunners due to walks or hit batters with all but one run in their five-run sixth inning coming from either a walk or a hit batter with the bases loaded.
Hattori would finish the day with four hits in seven at bats, Ormonde went 3-for-3 against Doane to finish the day 4-for-7, and Kieron Crowder finished the day with three hits, a run scored, and an RBI out of the leadoff spot.
Clarke and Doane will wrap up their weekend with one final matchup on Sunday with a 12:00 p.m. CT scheduled first pitch in St. Louis.