Mustangs Reign Supreme; Claim Heart Conference Crown

OZARK, Mo. - The Mount Mercy baseball team was able to rise to the top of the mountain, claiming their first Heart of America baseball tournament crown in program history, taking down Park by a score of 20-3.

After falling to Park in game one, the decisive game was all Mustangs. A total of nine different Mustangs recorded multiple hits in the championship game, led by Joel Vaske, Ryan Knowlton, and Drake Frazier who each had three. Trent Hoogerwerf, Tyler Dahm, Matthew Murphy, Kyle Lehmann and Bryce Brown would each record two, as the Mustangs blasted 23 hits in the decisive victory.

Riley Rundquist got the scoring started in the top of the first with a two-RBI single to right field, scoring Vaske and Dahm. Lehmann would follow that up with a two-RBI single of his own to right, scoring Knowlton and Rundquist. Lehmann would come around to score on an error in the first as the Mustangs were quickly up by five after just one inning. In the second inning, Hoogerwerf drove in Dahm on a single to center, stretching the lead to six.

Lehmann would drive in his third RBI of the contest in the third on a single to right, scoring Rundquist. In the fourth, Hoogerwerf drove in a run on a walk, while Jeremy Figueroa came across to score on a double play, extending the lead to nine. The fourth inning offense wasn't done there, as Knowlton singled to left field, scoring Vaske. In the fifth, Figueroa tacked on an RBI single of his own, which scored Frazier, as the Mustangs saw an 11-0 lead after four and a half innings.

Park was finally able to get on the board with three in the fifth, capped off by a two-RBI double from Torres. From then on, the Mustang offense was relentless. In the seventh, Drake Frazier scored on a sacrifice fly, while Vaske and Hoogerwerf each drove in RBIs, extending the lead back to 11. In the eighth, Frazier drove in two on a triple to right center, scoring Murphy and Bryce Brown. Frazier would come across to score on an RBI groundout, as the score was 17-3 after eight innings.

In the ninth, Brandon Bickford blasted a solo homer to left field, while Brown recorded an RBI triple and Frazier added another RBI, this time on a double to left, as the Mustangs cruised to a 20-3 win.

"I am very excited for our players because this was their goal from day one," said head coach Jack Dahm. "We had a lot of guys come back for their Covid years to help the program take the next step and they accomplished their goal. We are not done yet of course. It was fun watching this team grow throughout the year and when they decided the team was more important than their personal playing time, we took off. Guys accepted their roles and the only thing that mattered was winning. I also want all of the coaches, former coaches, and our incredible alumni to know they had a big part in growing this program and building the foundation for our current success. We are now in a position to keep this program at a very high level."

With the win, the Mustangs capture their first Heart of America baseball crown in program history, and will be on the lookout for their opponent at the NAIA Opening Round, with the selection show taking place on Thursday at 4 p.m. CT.