Pride take first two from Graceland in pair of multi-run victories

LAMONI, Iowa - In a series that had to be moved from Peosta to Lamoni, the Clarke University baseball team swept the opening doubleheader against Graceland University on Saturday by final scores of 9-4 and 5-2. 

The Pride served as the home team despite the location of the games with the original schedule giving CU home games as they were able to avoid extra innings for the first time in three days of conference play, earning seven inning wins in each game.

In the opener, both teams pounded out 12 hits in the game but Clarke came through with the most opportune hits with the Pride jumping out to a 7-0 lead by the end of the fourth inning. Bryce Simon had a pair of RBI hits with a single in the first to drive in a run and a solo home run in the fourth as Victor Lara, Bubba Thompson, Jordan Sadovia, and Taiga Sato all produced runs in the first four innings.

The Yellowjackets mounted a bit of a comeback to make it 7-3 but Sato and Johnny Blake added on runs in the sixth inning to build back the comfort of a six-run lead before the final out was recorded by Nolam Lamere in the seventh. 

Tyson Tucker picked up his fourth win of the season with a four-inning performance where he only allowed two hits and two walks while striking out six of the 17 batters he faced. 

The 5-2 in for CU in the second game, it was a Devan Quesada complete game that powered the Pride to victory as the reigning Heart Pitcher of the Week allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven GU batters.

This was another game where Clarke took the lead early on RBIs from Sadovia and Bailin Markridge in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead after the second. A two-run home run from Graceland's Austin Wheeler tied the game up in the fourth but that tie was short lived when Sato doubled home a run and Markridge added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning to give CU a 4-2 lead.

The win was capped off by a solo home run from Thompson in the bottom of the fifth before Quesada finished off the final six outs of the game in the sixth and seventh for the Pride to move to 16-7 overall on the year and 5-1 in Heart play.

Clarke and Graceland will finish the series in Lamoni on Sunday with a pair of games that are scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. CT.