CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Baseball hit the road for their first full Heart series of the season on Monday and Tuesday against Mount Mercy University.
After splitting the Monday doubleheader, the Mustangs were able to sweep the Tuesday doubleheader to take the series over the Ravens.
Game 1: Mount Mercy 12, Benedictine 9
Mount Mercy rallied to score 6 runs in their half of the sixth inning and then held off a seventh-inning rally by the Ravens to open the series with a 3-run win.
Lance Bolles suffered the loss in relief for the Ravens. He threw the sixth inning, giving up 6 runs off 5 hits. Ben Bowman, Jackson Sarver and Ben DeLaForest combined to throw the first 5 innings as Bowman earned the start going 2 and two-thirds.
At the plate, the Ravens finished the game with 7 hits. Hunter Moffet went 3 for 5 with a double and 3 RBI and was the only Raven with a multi-hit game. Jack Harpole added 3 RBI while Theo Kummer finished with 2 RBI.
Game 2: Benedictine 7, Mount Mercy 6
The Ravens rallied for a split behind 5 innings on the hill from Matthew Gephardt. Gephardt finished the game with 6 strikeouts to earn the win over the Mustangs.
DeLaForest earned the save, holding the Mustangs to just 1 hit over 2 innings in relief of Gephardt.
At the plate, the Ravens finished with 10 hits, 6 of which were for extra bases. Kummer and Brylan Haas hit home runs, Danny Favazza added a triple while Moffet, Harpole, and Ashton Neuman added doubles. Kummer finished with 3 RBI while Haas added 2.
Game 3: Mount Mercy 14, Benedictine 3
In the first game on Tuesday, the Ravens just couldn't get the offense going against the Mustangs pitching staff. Mount Mercy used a 7-run third inning to break open the game and take their second game in the four-game series.
Nelson Klein earned the start for the Ravens. He threw the first 2 innings, giving up 7 runs off 4 hits in the loss.
Moffett and Chase Pearson accounted for the Ravens 3 runs. Moffett went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI while Pearson went 2 for 3 with an RBI.
Game 4: Mount Mercy 7, Benedictine 2
Mount Mercy scattered two runs off 7 hits as they kept Benedictine's bats in check in the series finale to earn the series win.
Jackson Sarver earned the start for the Ravens, throwing the first 2 and one-third innings to suffer the loss. He gave up 5 earned runs off 6 hits with 4 strikeouts.
Moffett and Favazza finished with doubles at the plate as Moffett was credited with an RBI. Benedictine's remaining run was scored by Favazza in the sixth on a wild pitch.
Benedictine returns home for a four-game series on Saturday, starting at Noon with Evangel University. This weekend the program celebrates Atchison Appreciation Weekend with an appearance by the Atchison Elementary School Singers performing the National Anthem on Saturday.
