MITCHELL, S.D. — Dakota Wesleyan Baseball hosted the Midland Warriors at Drake Field for the first home GPAC doubleheader of the season.
The first contest of the day saw the Warriors take a 1-0 lead at the top of the opening frame, but the Tigers were quick to strike back thanks to an RBI double to left field from Kelbee Woodham, followed by a two-RBI single from Talan Ball, who kicked off his impressive offensive day by giving DWU a 3-1 lead. Midland worked the score back in their favor with five runs scored between the second and third innings, but would be shut out for the remainder of the seven-inning contest as Alex Mizsak settled in on the mound. The native of Jordan, Minnesota, recorded six strikeouts through six whole innings, and while he would give up runs early in the game, he was able to lock down the Warriors down the stretch against 28 faced batters. The offense would heat back up and never look back, as Brett Groebner recorded a two-RBI single in the bottom of the third to send home Landon Ruesink and Ball, before the Tigers rattled off four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Joseph Tharaldson recorded an RBI on a single, Ball took a walk with loaded bases, and Groebner hit another ball into center field to bring the score to 9-6 in favor of Dakota Wesleyan. The Warriors were shut out of the final frames following a one-inning closing stint for Dakota Munger, and Ball and Carter Brown added two more runs to the board in the bottom of the sixth, bringing the final score to 11-6 in favor of Dakota Wesleyan.
In game two, the Warriors were able to hold their early lead, but the Tigers found life from Ball, who continued to connect with the baseball and recorded a home run in the bottom of the first to bring himself and Lane Darrow across home plate, bringing the score to 3-2 in favor of the Warriors. Midland was quick to add to its lead, however, resulting in a 7-2 scoreline by the end of the fourth inning. On the mound, Caleb Meyers would record three strikeouts as the starting pitcher before Brayden Cherrey entered the game in relief, recording four strikeouts of his own through five pitched innings. Ball once again provided DWU with a spark in the bottom of the fifth with a second home run to left field, adding another run to the board and being the last major contribution of his day that saw the Texas native record five hits and seven RBIs between both games of the doubleheader. Dexter Payne recorded an RBI single to right field to bring the score to 7-4, but the Warriors ended the contest with a final score run, taking game two over the Tigers, 8-4. The split doubleheader brings DWU to an 11-9 overall record and 2-2 in GPAC play.
DWU Baseball will be bck in action on the road at Hastings on Friday, March 20th, starting at 2:00 PM. See the full 2026 schedule here.