CEDAR RAPIDS – Mount Mercy College outfielder Matthew Mercier hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the first game, and the Mustangs went on to sweep the Iowa Wesleyan College baseball team in a doubleheader on Saturday.
IWC lost by scores of 3-2 and 6-1, again struggling to plate runners and dropping its fourth straight game in Midwest Collegiate Conference play. The Tigers are now 22-15 overall, 7-5 in the MCC, while Mount Mercy passed Wesleyan in the standings and is now 8-3 in conference (18-17 overall).
Tiger pitchers Justin DeVoe (Sr.-Newton, Iowa) and Rickey Christou (So.-Brantford, Ontario) held the Mustangs to just three hits in the opener, with Mount Mercy scoring just two unearned runs in the second inning before the final home run. IWC outhit the hosts 9-3 in the opener but scored just two runs, both coming in the fifth inning when Jared Zueck (Jr.-Williamsville, Ill.) and Frany Cruz (Sr.-Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) drove in runs for the Tigers in the fifth to tie the game at 2-2.
Wesleyan fell behind early in the second game, as the Mustangs took a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Wesleyan got its lone run in the third inning when Jay Olson (Fr.-Agency, Iowa) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Travis Parker (Jr.-Taylor Ridge, Ill.) took the loss in the second game, allowing nine hits and five runs (four earned) in five innings. Cruz had three hits in the game and finished with four hits on the day to lead the team.
Despite ominous weather forecasts, IWC and Mount Mercy will attempt to finish their series tomorrow with a single nine-inning game scheduled for 1 p.m. at Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids.
For more information regarding the IWC baseball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score Game 1 MMC 3 IWC 2
Box score Game 2 MMC 6 IWC 1
