Spieker and Graves Homer in Mustangs Win Over Northwestern in Fort Dodge

FORT DODGE, Iowa — Mount Mercy (20-9, 7-1) dominated Northwestern (20-10, 8-4) with a commanding 17–1 victory on Tuesday at the Rogers Complex. The Mustangs' offense exploded with a season-high 17 runs batted in, boosted by two home runs, and a total of 15 hits.

Mount Mercy set the tone in the first inning. Derek Einertson walked, Kade Knock singled, and Nick Meyer singled through the left side, driving in two runs. Lane Spieker walked, and Sam Wiese doubled to right, adding another run. A groundout by Drew Terpins brought in the fourth run, giving the Mustangs a 4–0 lead.

The offensive surge continued in the second inning. Knock singled and scored on a Christian Graves single. Spieker then launched a two-run homer to right. Wiese walked and scored on a DJ Harris double. Einertson added a two-RBI single, marking his second consecutive multi-run game. Graves and Meyer were both hit by pitches with the bases loaded, contributing to an eight-run inning and a 12–0 lead.

In the fourth, Mount Mercy added two more. Knock walked, Graves got hit by a pitch, Spieker singled to score Knock, and Terpins' sacrifice fly brought home Graves, extending the lead to 14–0.

The scoring continued in the fifth as Knock singled and Graves followed with a two-run homer, making it 16–0. During this time, Mason Behn pitched a standout 5 innings, keeping Northwestern scoreless.

Northwestern managed a run in the sixth. Levi Mills reached on an error, advanced on a fielder's choice, and scored on a single, bringing the score to 16–1.

Mount Mercy capped off the game with one more run in the seventh. Tommy Taylor singled, advanced, and scored on Griffen Bushnell's sacrifice fly, sealing the 17–1 victory.

Kade Knock shone with three hits and four runs. Christian Graves was pivotal, driving in four runs, including a homer. Lane Spieker contributed three RBIs and a home run among his two hits.

Behn led the Mustangs' pitching staff with 5 scoreless innings and five strikeouts, earning the win with only three hits allowed. Caden Wilson pitched an inning, allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout and one walk. Luke Kehrli added a scoreless inning, striking out three and allowing just one hit.

For Northwestern, Luke Greth struggled, lasting only 2/3 of an inning while giving up four earned runs on three hits and two walks. Jacob Lewis also faced challenges, giving up six earned runs over 2/3 of an inning.

Mount Mercy stands at 20-9 overall and 7-1 in the conference, while Northwestern is 20-10 overall and 8-4 in the conference.

The Mustangs will host William Penn at 1 p.m. CT Friday, April 3, at Plaster Athletic Complex.