By Blake Meacham–The Morningside baseball team traveled down to Omaha on Tuesday, April 5th, to play the Bellevue University Bruins in a single nine-inning game. In a hard fought game from both sides, Morningside lost a tough 3-2 game where it didn’t seem they could catch a break at the right times.
The game was scoreless until the second inning when Joe Genoways battled at the plate for a walk and advanced to second on a single from Cole Chapin. With two outs, Jake Lamoreux delivered a single to left field to plate Genoways and notch the score at 1-0.
The score remained the same until the Bruins scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, thanks to some miscues by the Mustangs. Bellevue led off with a single, and when the next batter tried to sacrifice bunt, the ball was mishandled, causing both runners to be safe. After another sacrifice bunt, the Bruins had runners on second and third with one out. A passed ball tied the game 1-1. With a runner on third and one out, the Bruins executed a suicide squeeze play to make the game 2-1 in favor of the home team. After another hit and two walks, the bases were loaded again. A hit batter scored another run, but the Mustangs recorded the next out to end the inning with the score at 3-1.
In the next inning, the Mustangs closed the lead to 3-2 when Genoways earned another walk, Chapin smacked another single, and David Foley singled down the left field line with two outs.
In the ninth inning, Morningside threatened to tie the game when Lamoreux laced a one out double. Nolan Hoff flew out, then Blake Rogers lined out to right center to end the threat and the game.
The Mustangs outhit the Bruins 9-4 on the day, but the theme of the day for Morningside was constant line drives that would get caught up in the 25 MPH wind that was blowing towards home plate.
“The game is completely different if we get those line drives to fall,” said Lamoreux, clearly frustrated from the loss.
The pitching staff for Morningside shined thanks to great efforts from starter Lucas Henning and relievers Ross Ackerman and Lance Spongberg. Henning allowed two earned runs on two hits in 4.2 innings of work. Ackerman worked a scoreless 2.1 innings and Spongberg retired the Bruins in the eighth without allowing a run.
“We can learn from this loss and continue to play at the high level that we’re playing at now,” said Brian Drent to his players after the game.
Morningside is 27-7 going into another conference weekend. On Saturday, the Mustangs host Hastings for a double header. On Sunday, the Mustangs head to Crete, Nebraska to play Doane in a doubleheader.
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