Baseball Defeats Grand View; Moves On in Heart Tournament

OZARK, Mo. — Mount Mercy (34-13, 20-4) secured a decisive 13–6 victory over Grand View (22-20, 14-12) on Friday at Ozark Mountain. The Mustangs accumulated 15 hits, including four doubles and two triples, while stealing five bases to drive their offensive efforts.

Mount Mercy capitalized on their opponent's defensive miscues to take an early lead with five runs in the first inning. Derek Einertson reached on an error, and Drew Terpins followed with a successful bunt that led to another error, putting runners on second and third. Christian Graves then doubled in two runs, and Sam Wiese added an RBI double. DJ Harris capped the inning with a double, bringing home Wiese. The Mustangs led 5-0 after one inning.

In the third inning, Graves extended the lead with a solo home run to left center. However, Grand View responded with two runs in their half, cutting the lead to 6–3 after three innings.

The Mustangs added two runs in the fourth inning. Graves hit another double, this time driving in two runs, increasing their lead to 8–3.

The fifth inning saw Mount Mercy scoring three more runs. Einertson tripled to bring in Harris, Terpins singled to score Einertson, and Terpins later scored on a wild pitch. Grand View matched with three runs of their own in the bottom half, keeping it close at 11–6 through five innings.

Mount Mercy scored again in the sixth inning when Chase Gerwig singled in Wiese, who had reached on an error. The score was 12–6 at the end of the sixth inning.

In the ninth inning, the Mustangs added an insurance run. Einertson singled to bring Harris home after Harris reached on an error. The final score was Mount Mercy 13, Grand View 6.

Einertson led the team with four hits, two runs, and two RBIs, including a triple and a stolen base. Graves powered the offense with a home run, two doubles, and five RBIs while crossing the plate twice. Terpins contributed three runs and three stolen bases, showcasing his speed on the bases. Harris added two hits, including a double, and scored twice to round out the top performances.

Patrick Bergkamp led Grand View with two runs and two hits, showcasing his ability to reach base effectively. Ben Sandvig made a notable contribution with two runs, two hits, and a stolen base, further adding one RBI to his performance. Jaden Drill and Bryce Stalder each drove in two RBIs, with Stalder adding a pair of doubles to his stat line, providing critical offensive support for the team.

The Mustangs will await the loser of Missouri Baptist and MidAmerica Nazarene in the elimination bracket on Saturday.