Bunkers, O'Dell among home run hitters on record day

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Morningside baseball team made history Saturday with authority.

The Mustangs hit 10 home runs in a 16-4 and 11-10 sweep over Mount Marty at East High School, breaking the program's single-season record for home runs. The previous mark of 68, set in 2016, was surpassed during the doubleheader. Both games featured five home runs.

"Those swings for us were huge," head coach Adam Boeve said. "We have some strong guys top to bottom. We have guys who love to work on their hitting. They want hard contact. They work hard in the weight room. Their strength there translates on the field. Having that bat speed is big for them, but you have to know how to handle the bat."

In Game 1, the Mustangs broke things open with a five-run third inning. Romani Perez, Jacob O'Dell, and Jaxon Bunkers all homered in the frame, with Perez and Bunkers each driving in two runs.

Morningside followed with a seven-run fourth inning, highlighted by a grand slam from Bunkers.

"It just goes to all the hard work I've put into this season," Bunkers said. "I haven't hit a whole lot of home runs, but it was nice to cash in on those opportunities for once. It was all about 'see ball, hit ball.' That's the farthest ball I've hit this year."

O'Dell later delivered the record-breaking blast with a two-run home run in the seventh inning that pushed the Mustangs past the previous program mark.

Morningside finished Game 1 with 14 hits, including doubles from Kade Yasui, Conner Maston, and O'Dell.

Devan McGivern earned the win in relief, while Zach Koelfgen closed out the game with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The power surge continued in Game 2.

Hayden Hixon opened the scoring with a solo home run in the fourth inning, and two batters later, Maston added another.

The Mustangs erupted again in the seventh inning with three more home runs. Perez launched a two-run shot, Bunkers followed with his third homer of the day — another two-run blast — and Luke Froehlich added a solo home run.

Bunkers entered Saturday with one home run on the season.

"I had a rough month's stretch there, and my guys were all there behind me, supporting me," Bunkers said. "They knew what I'm capable of. There's something special about this team. We're going to keep winning pitch by pitch."

Morningside's 10 home runs brought its GPAC total to 50 on the season, and marked the fourth and fifth times this year the Mustangs have hit at least five in a game.

"We've got a lot of jacked guys on this team," Bunkers said. "We put the ball in the air, and it flies. We put in the work, and I think we're the best team when we take the field."

Here is a look at all the home runs hit so far, as of April 18: O'Dell and Maston with 14, Perez with 13, Mason King with five, Froehlich, Connor Woods, Bunkers, and Kentaro Felton with four, Luke Blackmon with 3, Hixon with 3, and the trio of Delzell, Michael Snyder, and Yasui with two. 

Their 74 homers lead the GPAC and is ninth in all of NAIA. 

Even outside the home runs, the Mustangs found key production. Michael Snyder delivered a clutch pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth inning of Game 2, extending the lead before Mount Marty made a late push.

"I feel like they can use that last inning to build off of," Boeve said. "We can't let off the throttle. We have to play every single pitch until the game is over."

Mason Rego earned the win as the first Mustangs reliever, and Sam Hanson kept the Lancers at bay in the ninth inning to get the save.

Morningside enters the final week of the regular season still atop the GPAC standings. The Mustangs swept Mount Marty including two wins on Thursday, and face Nos. 2 and 3 Doane on Saturday and Concordia on Thursday.