Clarke ends Mustang tournament run

OZARK, Mo. -- After a comeback win over sixth-seeded Peru State kept Mount Mercy alive in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Baseball Championship, the fourth-seeded Mustangs saw their tournament run come to an end against second-seeded Clarke on Sunday night at US Ballpark.

In a game that featured a ton of offense, it was a three-run ninth inning that allowed Mount Mercy to survive with a 12-10 victory over Peru State early Sunday. Trailing 10-9 and down to their final out, Brett Swalve came through with a two-run double to put the Mustangs ahead. Kyle Moeder followed with an RBI single for the final margin. Kale Orman (3-0), who pitched a scoreless 3-1/3 innings to close it out, was your winner.

Mount Mercy totaled 17 hits, with five Mustangs having multi-hit games. Kaimana Souza-Paaluhi led the way, going 6-for-6 with four runs scored and an RBI. Swalve went 3-for-6 while driving in six runs. Evan Paulus also collected three hits, driving in a run and scoring one. Tyler Dahm ended up 2-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and two RBI, Drake Frazier was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored.

That same Mustang offense was held in check on Sunday night by Clarke's Johnny Blake, who limited Mount Mercy (33-20) to three hits, one each for Moeder, Frazier, and Sam Stonskas. The Pride (37-15) got to Ryne Schooley (4-3) early, scoring four first-inning runs. Jackson Bennett was next in line and threw a solid 5-2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts.