The Vikings baseball team (23-16, 14-6 MCC) remain a half-game back in the Midwest Collegiate Conference standings after a three-game sweep of Clarke College in Des Moines. Grand View took all three games from the Crusaders over the weekend, winning 5-3 and 6-4 on Saturday and 11-1 on Sunday. Grand View trails William Penn by a game in the loss column with four conference games left in the 2010 conference regular season.
In game one on Saturday, junior Austin Denny pitched four innings of three run baseball for the Vikings to get his third victory of the season. Sophomore Jason Davila came in to close the door in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving up only one hit to gain his ninth save. The Vikings did their scoring early in the first three innings, scoring once in the first inning and four runs in the third inning. The bottom of the third inning started with a lead-off walk from Cory Burnes, followed by a Chris Cutler single and Marc Mericle's bases clearing triple. Mericle's triple scored Burnes and Cutler and Mericle was driven home Matt Dunn's single. The final run of the inning came on an error that scored Dunn. Mericle led the Vikings with two RBIs and Cutler finished the game with a team-high two hits. Burnes, the Vikings lead-off hitter, scored twice to lead Grand View in runs scored.
The second game of the double header started with the Vikings jump out to an early 4-1 lead in the first two innings of the game. Grand View scored quickly, plating two runs in the bottom of the first. Cory Burnes took first base on a bases on balls walk, which was followed by a Cutler two-run home run. In the following inning, Grand View's Jeff Brooks reached on a double to left field and then sophomore Kyler Morgan singled to score Brooks. Morgan was thrown out attempting to steal second, but Cameron Olinger walked and scored on a Burnes double for the second run of the inning. Burnes wasn't done with the RBI double in the second, as he drove home two more runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning, helping giving the Vikings the 6-4 victory.
Sophomore Sean Wright led the Vikings on the hill for 3 2/3 innings, striking out two and allowing only five hits. Wright's victory moved his record to 5-1 on the season, while Davila came in to get his tenth save. Davila broke the school record for saves in a season with his tenth save against Clarke. The saves record was previously held by Rob Stiles when Stiles recorded nine saves in the 1989 season.
Sunday's game was no different for the Vikings as they ran away from the Crusaders with offensive explosions in the fourth and sixth innings. With neither team scoring a run in the first three innings, Grand View scored four times in the fourth. The Vikings scored the four runs on only two hits and two Clarke errors. The first two runs of the inning came when Morgan singled to left field, scoring Wathen and Dunn. With the bases loaded Burnes was hit by a pitch, scoring freshman Nick Billinger. Morgan, who got the scoring started for the Vikings, scored on a fielder's choice of the bat of Cutler. The sixth inning offensive onslaught began Olinger single to left field. With two runners on base Mericle singled to score Cutler and Tyler Brown. Billinger, Morgan and Olinger all drove home runs in the sixth inning to push their lead to 9-1. Two runs in the seventh inning gave Grand View a ten run advantage, ending the game with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Jared Meggison threw six great innings for the Vikings, striking out two and allowing only one earned run.
The conference leading Vikings will not be action again until April 27th when they are home against Saint Ambrose University at 3:00 p.m.
