Purdy-Burton pitches complete game during GPAC Tournament

LINCOLN, Neb. — Kai Purdy-Burton's final start was as strong as any outing by a Morningside pitcher this season.

On Thursday, Purdy-Burton held Mount Marty to a 10-hit shutout in a 1-0 win during Day 2 of the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament. The senior left-hander from Pasadena, California, struck out four while forcing 10 flyouts and 10 groundouts.

Purdy-Burton needed 129 pitches to complete the nine-inning shutout, pushing his season total to a team-leading 67 2/3 innings pitched. It also marked the Mustangs' second complete game of the season.

Romani Perez drove in the game's only run in the fifth inning with an RBI single that scored Kade Yasui. Yasui reached on a four-pitch walk, moved to second on a Conner Maston single, and scored on Perez's base hit.

Morningside finished with six hits, all singles, with Maston and Michael Snyder recording two apiece. Sam Wilt also reached base twice via walk.

The win sent the Mustangs (34-18) into a matchup with Dakota Wesleyan in the nightcap, but the Tigers pulled away early in a 16-5 decision in seven innings.

Morningside answered quickly after falling behind, tying the game at 2-2 in the first inning. Maston delivered an RBI double to score Yasui, and Jacob O'Dell followed with a sacrifice fly to even things up.

The Mustangs added another run in the second when Hayden Hixon drove in Connor Woods with a double, cutting the deficit to 9-3.

Dakota Wesleyan, however, broke the game open with a seven-run second inning and added three runs in both the fourth and fifth.

Maston led the offense with two hits and two RBIs, including a solo home run in the seventh, while Woods reached base twice on walks.

Morningside added a run in the sixth on a wild pitch and continued to compete through the final innings. Sam Hanson closed things out on the mound with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts.