Nathan DeChaine had two home runs and seven RBIs to help lead the Mustangs to a 17-10 win against Mount Marty. Photo / Gene Knudsen

Cole Halgerson

Nathan DeChaine

Morningside shelled Mount Marty’s pitching staff for 20 hits en route to a 17-10 triumph in Thursday’s first round action in the GPAC Baseball Post-Season Tournament Briar Cliff Bracket.

The Mustangs improved their record to 40-14 and advanced to Friday’s winner’s bracket final of the double-elimination tournament, where they will face Hastings in a 9 a.m. contest.

Morningside had several offensive standouts in its opening round victory, most notably sophomore third baseman Nathan DeChaine, who blasted two home runs and finished with three hits and seven RBIs.

DeChaine connected for a three-run homer when the Mustangs’ opened the scoring with four runs in the bottom of the third inning. He went deep again on his next at-bat with a two-run blast in the fourth and then added a two-run single in the seventh. DeChaine’s fourth inning home run came in a five-run uprising when the Mustangs broke the game with a 9-0 lead.

Jacob Lamoreux

Cody Selig

Cole Halgerson and Jacob Lamoreux also played prominent roles in the Mustangs’ triumph. Halgerson went three-for-five with a home run, double, and four RBIs, while Lamoreux collected four hits in six at-bats, including a double, stole a base and scored three runs. Lamoreux, the Mustangs’ all-time hit leader, raised his total to 222 career hits.

Halgerson’s home run was a three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh inning and helped the Mustangs take a 17-3 lead into the final two innings.

Aside from their big three of DeChaine, Halgerson, and Lamoreux, the Mustangs received contributions to their hit parade from Blake Rogers with a double and single, Cole Chapin with a double and single, Blake Meacham with two singles, Joe Tourville with a pair of singles, Joe Genoways with a double, and Nolan Hoff with a single.

 Mustang starting pitcher Cody Selig breezed through the Lancers’ lineup and tossed six innings of shutout ball for an easy victory. Selig (7-3) allowed only four singles in his six-inning stint, struck out four, and didn’t walk a batter.

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