PRAIRIE CITY — Sophomore Brayton Van Dyke hit his first varsity home run, the Mustangs cranked out 12 hits and the Prairie City-Monroe baseball team overcame three errors and seven walks in a 9-7 non-conference home victory over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on Tuesday.
Van Dyke hit a two-run homer in the second to give PCM a 3-1 lead.
The Mustangs never trailed again as they scored twice in the third, three times in the fourth and once more in the fifth.
EBF (7-6) walked three times and took advantage of a PCM error to plate four runs in the top of the seventh, but sophomore Preston Van Wyk closed the door with a two-out save.
Senior Braden Phifer started and earned the win on the mound after allowing three earned runs on four hits in five innings.
Phifer struck out seven and walked three to improve to 2-1 on the season.
“This is his first real full-time season as a starting pitcher,” PCM coach Jeff Lindsay said. “That’s not always easy to do as a senior. He’s handled it well. I am proud of his effort that he has given us.”
Junior Brady Fagen allowed three earned runs with four walks and one strikeout in 1 1/3 innings.
Van Wyk came into the game with one out in the seventh and allowed one hit before collecting his first save of the season.
“We had too many walks tonight,” Lindsay said. “But all 12 of those hits were struck well. Everybody seems to have a good rhythm at the plate. They all believe they’ll hit a pitch hard somewhere.”
The Mustangs (7-3) out-hit the Rockets 12-5, but EBF stayed close because of seven walks by the pitchers and three errors by the defense.
Van Dyke finished 2-for-3 with a homer and a triple and added two runs and two RBIs. Sophomore Reed Worth and junior Noah Henkenius each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Van Wyk was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs and senior Noah Clark was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Senior Chase Kuecker had one hit and one RBI, senior Ethan Thomas had one RBI and walked once and Fagen was 1-for-1.
The Mustangs host Heart of Iowa Conference rival Nevada (6-1 overall, 5-1 in the HOIC) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Prairie City.