Mustangs Split Friday Doubleheader with Clarke

DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Mustang baseball team split the Friday doubleheader with Clarke, falling in the opener by a score of 4-2 before bouncing back in a big way, defeating the Pride 14-3 in the nightcap.

Game One

Josh Notriano would be the only Mustang with multiple hits, adding two of the Mustang six hits in the contest, while also accounting for both RBIs.

The Pride would strike first in the bottom of the second as Alex Reynozo hit a solo homer to give the Pride the early one run lead. Notriano would then drive in his two runs on a two-run shot, continuing his red-hot stretch hitting the baseball.

Following a single in the bottom of the sixth, Dean Ormonde would come across to score on an error to square the game up at two. Reynozo would then seal the deal with his second homer of the game, this time on a two-run homer to give the Pride a two run lead, which they would hold on to.

Dante Maletta earned the win, improving his record to 6-1. Maletta threw a complete game, allowing six hits and two runs on five strikeouts. Tyler Nagelbach was tabbed with the loss, throwing six innings and allowing four runs while striking out five.

Game Two

The Mustangs offense would explode in the nightcap, striking for 14 runs on 18 hits, as Cedric Dunnwald would lead the team in both categories, recording four hits and six RBIs. Derek Einertson was not far off, adding three hits and five RBIs himself, as the duo drove in 11 out of the 14 runs.

Bryce Brown drove in the first run of the game in the first inning on a sac fly, scoring Jaden Hackbarth. Drew Terpins would extend the lead to two, driving in Yahirdavi Ortiz on a sac fly to center field. Dunnwald would add his first hit and first RBI on a solo shot down the right field line, extending the lead to three. Dunnwald would then add two more RBIs on a single through the left side in the fourth, marking three RBIs through four innings.

It was then Jeremy Figueroa who drove in a run, extending the lead to six in the top of the fourth inning. Clarke's Randy Acosta drove in the first run of the game for the Pride on a single to left in the bottom of the fourth, but Einertson would respond with a two-run single in the top of the fifth. Dunnwald belted his second homer of the game in the fifth, this time on a three-run shot, scoring Terpins and Einertson. Then in the sixth, Einertson added a three-run blast of his own, scoring Ortiz and Darrell Michael Jean.

Clarke would get two runs back in the seventh on a wild pitch and a single up the middle, but it wouldn't matter as the Mustang offense overpowered the Pride.

Michael Schaul earned the win, improving his record to 4-1. Schaul would throw just over an inning in relief, allowing just one hit. Christian Prull was tabbed with the loss, throwing just over four innings while allowing 10 its and nine runs.

The Mustangs and Pride will close out the Easter weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday in Dubuque.