Jackets Split Doubleheader with Ravens, Looks to Close Out Series Sunday

LAMONI, Iowa – The Graceland University baseball team split Saturday's doubleheader with Benedictine College at Chase Stadium, taking game one in a 2-1 pitchers' duel before dropping game two by a 13-5 margin. With the split, the Yellowjackets move to 11-13 overall and 5-5 in Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) play, while the Ravens now sit at 6-16 overall and 2-8 in conference play.

Game One: Graceland 2, Benedictine 1

The Yellowjackets secured the opener behind a strong pitching performance from starter Jacob Abernathey. The right-hander worked six innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out three to earn the victory. Reliever Mason Krogsgaard closed the door with a scoreless seventh, securing the save.

Graceland struck first in the bottom of the first inning when Gabriel Perez doubled down the left-field line before scoring on a throwing error, giving the Yellowjackets a 1-0 lead. In the third, Perez delivered again, lacing an RBI double to center field, scoring JD Woodruff to make it a 2-0 ballgame. That run proved to be the difference, as Benedictine pushed across one in the seventh on a two-out RBI single from Matthew Johnson, before Krogsgaard induced a flyout to end the game.

Zach Tanabe led Graceland with three hits, while Perez finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. The Yellowjackets' defense was sharp, playing error-free baseball behind their pitching staff.

Game Two: Benedictine 13, Graceland 5

The second game saw Benedictine's offense break out, capitalizing on a six-run fourth inning and three multi-run innings to pull away from Graceland. The Yellowjackets took an early 2-1 lead in the first behind a two-run homer from Perez, but Benedictine responded with a run in the second before exploding for six runs in the fourth, highlighted by a grand slam from Benson Smith.

Graceland plated one in the third on an RBI single from Jake Bauer, and Trevor Yorges connected for a two-run homer in the sixth, but the Yellowjackets couldn't recover from Benedictine's early offensive surge. Starter Gabriel Perez took the loss, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in three and two-thirds innings. Thiago Telles, Victor Leonardo, and Kristian Cardejon combined to finish the game in relief.

Despite the loss, head coach Brad Payne remained confident in his team's direction.

"When you're in a four-game series, taking care of business at home is critical," Payne said. "We did some good things in game one—pitched well, played solid defense, and executed when we needed to. But game two got away from us, and against good teams, you can't afford to give away momentum. We have to stay locked in, take the lessons from today, and be better if we want to come out of this series on top tomorrow."

Next Up: Series Finale vs. Benedictine

Graceland will conclude the four-game series against Benedictine tomorrow with another doubleheader at Chase Stadium in Lamoni, Iowa.

For more information on Graceland baseball and all Yellowjackets athletics, visit GUjackets.com.