Pride drop pair of high scoring games at Mount Mercy to close 2024
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - With plenty of postseason implications heading into the day, the Clarke University baseball team was unable to pull out a victory to close out their 2024 regular season in 10-7 and 13-9 losses at Mount Mercy University on Saturday afternoon.
A four-run inning early in each game to take multi-run leads wouldn't be enough for the Pride as they would open the day with a four-run top of the first in the opener after a Thomas Brannon RBI single and a three-run home run from Alden Brown made it 4-0 early.
After adding another pair of runs in the top of the fourth to make it 6-1 on an RBI double from Andrew Swartz and an RBI single by Dean Ormonde, back-to-back four run innings from the Mustangs behind an RBI double, a three-run home run, and a pair of two-run home runs would make it 9-6 MMU after five innings.
Clarke tried to mount a comeback in the top of the sixth, getting a run back in the inning on another Ormonde RBI single, but left two runners stranded and the go-ahead run at the plate with Mount Mercy able to get an inning ending strikeout.
The series finale would see MMU take an early 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly but another early four-spot from the Pride would give them a three-run lead this time as Swartz, Ormonde, and Brannon would be in the middle of the rally again, all with RBI singles, the final coming off the bat of Brannon to score a pair to make it 4-1.
But five runs in the bottom of the second inning would quickly give the Mustangs the lead again at 6-4 with the long ball being the big blow again on a three-run shot by Trent Hoogerwerf.
Jacob Monday would do his best to keep the Pride in the game, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen before a lightning delay would halt action for about 40 mintues after the top of the sixth inning as some of Clarke's momentum would lose steam with Mount Mercy scoring seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend their lead to 13-4.
The Pride wouldn't quit in their final offensive half inning, putting up six runs of their own in the seventh inning capped off by a grand slam from Swartz in his final collegiate at bat to put the score at its final of 13-9.
With the four-straight losses to Mount Mercy, Clarke baseball would fall out of the top-eight in the Heart of America Athletic Conference standings to miss out on the Heart Tournament by a game, putting their 2024 season to a finish.
The Pride would finish 2024 with a 19-29 overall record and a 14-18 record in the Heart in head coach Brian McCabe's first season in the manager's seat in the dugout for his alma mater.