Morningside suffered a 12-8 loss in the Midland Bracket Championship Game of the GPAC Post-Season Baseball Tournament.

Andrew Kasperbauer

Midland used a five-run inning to break open a tight game when it defeated Morningside 12-8 in the Midland Bracket Championship Game of the GPAC Post-Season Baseball Tournament on Saturday in Fremont, Neb.

The Mustangs trailed 5-3 before the Warriors made it a 10-3 game with a five-run outburst in the top of the seventh inning.

The loss dropped the Mustangs’ record to 35-22, while Midland improved its mark to 39-18 and advanced to next Tuesday’s GPAC Tournament Championship Game against regular season league champion Concordia.

Midland had 19 hits against Morningside and five came in the pivotal seventh inning, including a two-run single by Cole Gray and run scoring hits by Anthony Virgen, Justin Trevino and Colby Taylor.

Morningside trailed 12-4 before it staged a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to narrow the final margin to 12-8. Eric Salmonson clubbed a RBI double and Jacob Lamoreux had a RBI groundout before Nathan DeChaine provided the big blow of the inning with a two-run home run for his 15th blast of the season.

The Mustangs scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead and held a 3-2 lead through five innings.

Nathan DeChaine

Cole Chapin singled and Dylan Mersola doubled to start the Mustangs’ second inning. Chapin came home to tie the score at one when Blake Meacham grounded out to the shortstop and Mersola scored the go-ahead run on a RBI single by Andrew Kasperbauer.

Midland tied the score at two with a run in the top of the fifth inning, but the Mustangs regained the lead in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back doubles by Kasperbauer and Joe Genoways.

Gray and Robert Cummins had RBI singles when Midland scored three runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead for good at 5-3. A Morningside error extended the inning and enabled all three runs to score.

Morningside finished with 12 hits, including three by Kasperbauer with a double and two singles. Chapin had two hits with a pair of singles. The Mustangs had extra base hits with a home run by DeChaine and doubles by Meacham, Mersola, Kasperbauer, Genoways, Salmonson and Blake Rogers.

Mustang starting pitcher Spencer Wyant was the victim of some shaky defensive support. Wyant took the loss after he allowed five runs on 10 hits over the first six innings, but all five of the Warriors’ runs were unearned thanks to three Morningside errors. Wyant struck out one and did not walk a batter.