Pride Split Saturday Doubleheader with Grand View

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Clarke University baseball team finished 1-1 in a doubleheader Saturday against Grand View University at Lou Yacinich Stadium. 

The Pride (24-11 overall, 13-5 Heart) fell 2-0 in the opener before topping the Vikings 5-0 in Game 2. 

In the opener, the Vikings scored the only runs of the game by way of a single home run to right field and again from a single through the right side at the bottom of the sixth inning. 

Tyson Tucker fell to 5-3 on the season with the loss, pitching five innings with six strikeouts. Carsie Walker pitched an inning, retiring one Viking via a strikeout. Victor Lara led the Pride with two hits, while Maguire Fitzgerald and Bailin Markridge each added in a hit. 

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Pride got on the board at the top of the second inning when Brenden O'Conner scored off an error by Grand View's catcher. Lara tacked on the second run of the day after a sac fly to left scored Hayden Siebers at the top of the third.

Clarke added three insurance runs at the top of the seventh, ignited by an RBI single from Daniel Phyle. Up next in the order, Lara singled to left field, advancing Phyle to third, which set up an RBI from Bryce Simon at the next at-bat. Bubba Thompson picked up the last RBI of the day off a single through the left side, cementing the Pride's 5-0 victory. 

Devan Quesada improved to 7-2 with the win, pitching six innings with seven strikeouts against three walks. 

Clarke resume the final two games of their four-game set against the Vikings tomorrow. Game 1 is set for 1 p.m.