Jul 19, 2025

Two games left now, Mustangs top Clarinda 11-7 in penultimate home matchup

Posted Jul 19, 2025 3:47 AM

By MATT PIKE

With the end of the regular season on the horizon, the St. Joseph Mustangs returned to Phil Welch Stadium on Friday for the first of their final two home games before the playoffs, and topped the Clarinda A's 11-7 in the penultimate home regular season matchup.

That wasn't before the Mustangs fell behind though, after the A's scored four runs in the top of the second inning.  Cooper Knight singled to score the opening run as Kane Wilson raced home and scored on a throwing error by right fielder Trevor McCollum.  Knight, having advanced to second on the throw by McCollum, was driven in on a single by Tayvon Homolar, and later in the inning it was Homolar scoring on a sacrifice fly by Clayton Pourciau.  The final run scored with a groundout by Colin Linteo that brought home Joey Caruso.

Trailing 4-0, the Mustangs cut into the lead in the bottom half, but scored just one run, Lafayette alum Jayden Little hitting a sacrifice fly to drive in Easton Phillipe, putting St. Joseph down by three before the script flipped itself in the fifth inning, with Clarinda scoring just one run, and the Mustangs working their way back to tie up the game. 

The A's extended their lead on a bases loaded hit by pitch, Knight getting hit by the pitch by Sam Pitts, before St. Joseph scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game.  In the bottom half, McCollum started the scoring with an RBI single, driving in Little with the bases loaded, and as the Mustangs moved station to station Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart added another run being hit by a pitch, scoring Savannah alum Truman Bodenhausen.  Trailing by two runs, Dom Felix delivered the tying blow with a two RBI single, bringing home Darius Freeman and McCollum. 

In the sixth, the Mustangs blew the door open to take the lead.  After Bodenhausen reached first on a fielders choice, scoring Little thanks to a throwing error by the catcher Pourciau, Luikart drove in two more runs with a single, bringing home Carter Belton and Bodenhausen.  Phillipe added the final two runs with another two run single, driving in McCollum and Luikart, putting the Mustangs up 10-5.  

The A's added one more run in the seventh inning, Wilson reaching on a fielders choice and scoring Layth Holliday, but in the bottom half of the inning the Mustangs got the run back, scoring their final run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Freeman that drove in Little.  Clarinda scored their final run in the eighth inning on an RBI single by Micah Nicholson that brought home Linteo.

Pitts earned the win, pitching four innings and giving up two runs on two hits while walking three and striking out one.  At the plate, Phillipe was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two RBIs.  McCollum was also 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and one RBI. 

The Mustangs are now 33-8 on the season and 27-7 in the MINK league with two games remaining in the regular season.  They host the Jefferson City Renegades in their home regular season finale tomorrow at Phil Welch Stadium with first pitch at 7pm. 

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.