After allowing Morningside to score two runs and take the lead in the top of the 7th, Nebraska Wesleyan rallied back and had late game heroics of their own as Alex Heideman singled to right center giving the Prairie Wolves a 3-2 victory over the Mustangs in the second game of GPAC baseball doubleheader on Saturday (Apr. 21) at NWU Field. Morningside took game one, 6-3.
With the split both Nebraska Wesleyan and Morningside remain tied for second place in the GPAC standings with 10-4 conference records. The teams are one game back of first place Doane.
There were plenty of dramatics in the final inning of the second game. NWU took a 1-0 lead into the 7th inning as Justin Van Dyke threw six innings of scoreless baseball for the Prairie Wolves. Jarek Sefrit came in to close the game, but Tyler Candor led off with a double on the first pitch. After a walk, a sacrifice put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Sefrit then struck out Adison Gillett looking.
Strategy then kicked in as Jordan Mouw entered to pinch hit for Will Glienke. NWU countered bringing in Josh Ostrom from shortstop to pitch. Glienke then re-entered and hit a 2-run single to right center giving the Mustangs a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Morningside starter Gregg Scott threw a ball on the first pitch then was replaced by closer Alex Groth. Groth walked both Matt Honerman and Griffin DePriest. Tanner Lewis laid down a sacrifice bunt but it was misplayed by the first baseman and the bases were loaded.
Chris Johnson drew a bases loaded walk to bring in the tying run and keeping the bases loaded with no outs for Alex Heideman. Morningside brought in Bobby Lee to pitch. Heideman continued his perfect offensive game as he laced a pitch to right center for the game-winner.
Heideman finished 3-3 in game two with an RBI as he had three of the Prairie Wolves seven hits. Beau Kelly had the other RBI as he singled in the first inning.
In game one, the Mustangs erupted for six runs in the first two innings as they knocked out NWU starter Mike Lovgren after just 1 2/3 innings. Matt Schommer came in and did not allow a run the rest of the way.
NWU tried to chip away at the lead as they scored one run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Kelly. They added two more in the sixth inning as Tanner Lewis doubled and scored on a single by Heideman. Johnson also scored on a wild pitch, but that was as close as NWU would get.
The Prairie Wolves (16-16, 10-4 GPAC) had just four hits in the first game.
NWU will now travel to Yankton, S.D., to face Mount Marty College on Sunday.
