Perez, Blackmon drive in 3 each in baseball split

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Romani Perez arrived at Morningside ready to contribute to the baseball team however he could, even as a freshman. On Friday, he helped the Mustangs (13-10, 1-1 GPAC) earn their first Great Plains Athletic Conference win of 2026.

The Brighton, Colorado, native hit a solo home run and forced home the game-winning run in Game 2 to give Morningside a 9-8 win over Northwestern.

"Baseball is a game I grew up playing, and this is another level I love to play at, and I love every moment," Perez said. "Being a freshman coming in, my teammates have given me a lot of support."

Perez hit his solo homer during the third inning, giving the Mustangs a 3-2 lead. It was his fourth home run of the season.

Then, with the bases loaded and the score tied 8-8 in the bottom of the seventh inning — with the sun beginning to set — Perez worked a six-pitch walk that forced in the game-winning run.

"Over the winter, I worked on everything and have been seeing everything better as a batter and fielder," Perez said. "My heart rate was up. Once I got into a three-ball count, I knew I could force a walk or I'm going to get a hit."

Perez also had an RBI double in a 3-1 loss during Game 1.

After Friday's games, Perez is hitting .438 and has scored 19 runs for Morningside. Defensively, he has played third base, second base, and first base — where he was stationed for both games on Friday.

"He is definitely beyond his years as a freshman, and he's had a great start," said head coach Adam Boeve. "He's earned himself some at-bats and moved into the middle of the lineup. He's not fazed by any move we ask him to make. He's an even-keel guy. We put him where we need to."

Morningside's biggest inning in Game 2 came in the fifth when it scored five runs. Northwestern had responded with four runs in the fourth to erase an early Mustangs lead.

Luke Blackmon came off the bench in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and lined a pitch down the left-field line, scoring Perez, Conner Maston, and Michael Delzell.

"We had a lot of big moments along the way from individuals to get the job done in Game 2," Boeve said. "We needed that five spot. I'm excited for Luke to come up big at that moment. He's had hard contact all year. His numbers don't show the quality he's put into at-bats."

Mason Rego earned the win in Game 2, pitching a scoreless seventh inning. He allowed one hit and one walk.

Rego closed the game after Maston started, with Kai Purdy-Burton and Zach Neer also pitching in relief. The four combined to allow six earned runs on 10 hits.

In Game 1, Cade Nolan, Rhys Fairweather, and Sam Hanson combined to allow three runs on six hits.