Mount
Mercy takes three from Ashford
Posted
4/28/08 10:32 AM
Daniel Jones |
Ryan Harding |
CEDAR RAPIDS,
Iowa -- The Mount Mercy College baseball team swept a three-game
series with Ashford University over the weekend, extending its
winning streak to six games and locking up the sixth seed in this
week's Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament.
Mount Mercy
(16-29, 8-14 MCC) and seventh-seeded Waldorf College (10-22, 6-16
MCC) will square off in game one of the MCC tournament on Thursday
at noon at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo, Iowa. But first, the
Mustangs and Warriors play a regular season finale on Tuesday
at 5:00 p.m. in Cedar Rapids. An official tournament bracket will
be available on the MCC
Web site upon completion of all regular season games.
Mount Mercy
began the week with a 2-1, non-conference victory over intra-city
rival Coe College on Monday, then took two games on the road at
Clarke College on Wednesday. The Mustangs picked up consecutive
wins four, five, and six against Ashford over the weekend at Ken
Charipar Field. Mount Mercy swept the Saints, 7-3 and 9-0, on
Seniors Day Saturday, then pounded them, 18-3, in seven innings
on Sunday.
Junior right
fielder Ryan Harding hit a home run and a double to lead the Mustangs
in Saturday's opener. Senior second baseman Daniel Jones also
homered for Mount Mercy, while senior left-hander Jon Wilson (2-3)
held the Saints to a pair of earned runs on five hits over six
innings. Logan Dicus picked up his fourth save of the week and
team-high ninth of the year. That is the third-best single season
total in school history and moved him into fifth on Mount Mercy's
career list.
Harding went
deep again and freshman shortstop Derrick Weber hit his first
collegiate home run as the Mustangs cruised in game two. Harding,
Jones, senior catcher Jake Sargent, and senior third baseman Tanner
Grimsley each had multi-hit games for Mount Mercy. Sophomore righty
Kaleb Heffner (3-6) scattered six hits and struck out six in five
shutout innings.
After a scoreless
first inning, the Mustangs scored seven runs in the bottom of
the second and cruised to Sunday's win. Harding led off the second
frame with a solo shot, and Jones capped the inning off with a
grand slam that made it 7-0. Junior first baseman Dominic Gentile,
junior designated hitter Justin Rarick, and senior left fielder
Carl Fenceroy also homored for Mount Mercy. Senior right-hander
Tim Abbott improved to 3-7 on the season by allowing one earned
run and six hits over four innings of work.
