Tucker, Pride dominant in Heart Tournament opening round win over William Penn

OZARK, Mo. - Having to wait an extra day to get their start of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament underway, the Clarke University baseball team made quick work of William Penn University in a 10-0 win by the mercy rule in seven innings.

The Pride used their last at bats to score four runs in the bottom of the seventh to clinch their run rule victory as Maguire Fitzgerald singled home two runs, Paul Von Zboray scored on a passed ball after singling earlier in the inning then Bubba Thompson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the 10th run.

It may have only taken one run for CU to get a victory with the way Tyson Tucker pitched on Friday morning as the right hander threw all seven innings allowing only one hit, two walks, and a hit batter with six strikeouts for his second-straight Heart Tournament opening round shutout after a stellar nine-inning performance in 2022. Over the entirety of his outing, Tucker only allowed one runner to reach second base all game and had four of the seven innings where he faced only three hitters.

Clarke's offense got off to a strong start in the bottom of the first inning, scoring three runs, first on a bases loaded sacrifice fly from Kainoa Torres, then a fielding error from the Statesmen allowing a run to score, then a two-out RBI single from Daniel Phyle.

The Pride added on in small doses in the middle of the game, first in the third inning when Torres scored on a passed ball, then again in the sixth on a two-run home run off the bat of Brendan O'Connor as the CU right fielder launched his seventh home run of the season.

Due to yesterday's rain delay, Clarke will not play again on Friday as their next matchup will be in the winner's bracket semifinals against Grand View University tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. CT.