Pride and Bobcats split Friday doubleheader

PERU, Neb. - Entering their final four games of the 2026 regular season, the Clarke University baseball team was able to salvage a split of their Friday doubleheader at Peru State College after losing game one 9-3 by earning a 6-5 game two victory.

It was a pair of big offensive innings for the Bobcats that propelled the home team to victory as they produce a five-run bottom of the second before CU attempted to start a comeback with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth on a passed ball and Ethan Hefel RBI double, but then PSC answered right back with four more runs in the bottom half of that inning.

The Pride were only able to record five hits in the game, two of which came off the bat of Brady Lord, as Peru State's starter Ben Reinker tossed a complete game, striking out four hitters for his first win of the season on the mound with Clarke's best pitching performance coming out of the two-inning relief outing from Caleb Calcut, who produced two shut down innings to strike out a pair.

Clarke's offense picked up in the second game of the day when they jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a Jaxon Brooks RBI double in the top of the second, but the Bobcats got their first runs on the board in the third inning when they tied it on a Xavier Solla double then a first and third stolen base attempt saw the throw go wild allowing the runner from third to score and give PSC a 2-1 lead.

This time, it would be a big inning from the visitors that gave them a three-run lead by the end of the fourth when Hefel singled hom Jordan Breen, Bryn Vantiger singled home Hefel, then a squeeze bunt from Hunter Flores scored Brooks, and a ground ball error by Peru State scored a fourth run to make it 5-2 CU.

Vantiger doubled home Brooks in the top of the fifth to provide what turned out to be a vital insurance run ahead of the Bobcats score twice on a triple with an error in the fifth then added another in the sixth, but Clarke starter David Jacobo was able to quiet the noise in the sixth with the lead before closing the door in the seventh despite allowing a two-out single and stolen base.

With that win, the Pride have secured the second-best record in the Heart North, which also clinches a top-four seed in the Heart Tournament set to begin next week after the Clarke and Peru State wrap up the regular season on Saturday with two more games in Peru, Neb. slated to start at 1:00 p.m. CT.