Game 1: Grand View Vikings 3, Midland University 2
Game 2: Midland University 7, Grand View Vikings 4
Game 3: Midland University 3, Grand View Vikings 0
Game 4: Grand View Vikings 9, Midland University 4 (10 innings)
Game 1: Doyle Dominates, Vikings Grind Out a Win
In a pitcher's duel that lived up to its billing, the Grand View Vikings escaped Midland University with a hard-fought 3-2 victory, and the hero was easy to identify.
Devin Doyle was nothing short of brilliant. The right-hander carved through Midland's lineup for seven full innings, recording 21 outs while surrendering just two hits and two earned runs. Doyle put up impressive stats with11 strikeouts and only one walk. That's an 11:1 K/BB ratio in a complete seven-inning performance, the kind of outing that wins games before the offense even gets comfortable.
Weston Barber gave Grand View an early jolt, launching a solo shot to left field in the first inning to put the Vikings on top 1-0. Midland answered as Eimir Perez tied it at one with a center-field homer in the second, and Hunter Spencer gave the Warriors the edge with another solo blast in the third, making it 2-1.
Grand View clawed back in the fourth on a wild pitch, knotting the game at two and setting the stage for a tense final stretch. Then in the sixth, with the game still deadlocked, Midland's defense cracked with an error allowing the go-ahead run to score, and that was all Doyle needed.
Roderick Tanamor led the Vikings offensively with a 2-for-4 afternoon, while Barber drove in the lone RBI for Grand View. On the defensive side, the Vikings were airtight with zero errors, with Parker Bulthuis anchoring the field by handling a game-high 12 chances flawlessly.
Midland starter Owen Kelley kept it competitive (7 Ks, 2 ER over 5 innings), but reliever Will Gonzalez absorbed the loss after the unearned run crossed in the sixth.
Key stat: Doyle's 11 strikeouts against just 2 hits allowed made this one of the most efficient starts of the season. Grand View won this game on the mound.
Game 2: Midland Pulls Away Late, 7-4
Grand View came out firing in Game 2, erupting for three runs in the very first inning. Tyler Lewnau singled down the left field line, Jaden Drill worked a fielder's choice, and Tatum Nuss lined one down the right field line and suddenly it was 3-0 Vikings before Midland had barely settled in. Lewnau's two RBI on a 2-for-3 day made him the offensive bright spot, and Tanamor once again delivered, matching Lewnau's two-hit performance to give Grand View a productive top of the lineup.
The Warriors tied it at three in the bottom of the first on a pair of singles, then retook the lead for good in the third when Owen Glover singled home the go-ahead run to make it 4-3.
Starter Jalen Vorpahl lasted 3? innings, surrendering 10 hits and 7 runs, 5 earned. Midland capitalized, amassing 10 hits in the game. Eimir Perez, who homered in Game 1, went a scorching 3-for-3 at the plate, while Glover drove in two runs and Dax Wandler chipped in 2 hits. Reliever Andres Rivera locked things down for Midland pitching 6 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 4 strikeouts.
Game 3: Midland Blanks Vikings 3-0
Midland starter Matthew Arrey went five clean innings, five hits allowed, zero runs, and four strikeouts. Weston Barber and Roderick Tanamor each went 2-for-the-day and hit back-to-back, providing Grand View's best offensive punch, but the Vikings couldn't push a run across when it counted. Cole Hupke came on in relief and slammed the door, earning the save to complete the shutout.
Josh Stoll gave Grand View a quality effort on the mound with 6 strikeouts, zero walks in 4? innings, but allowed seven hits and three runs, including the game's first run in the second inning when Adam Muniz singled one home for Midland.
Grand View's defense was again spotless with zero errors, with Parker Bulthuis leading all fielders with eight chances handled cleanly.
Key stat: Barber and Tanamor combined for 4 of Grand View's 5 hits, providing consistent production at the top of the order all series long.
Game 4: Vikings Erupt for Five in the Tenth, Take Series Finale 9-4
The Grand View Vikings saved their best for last in a thrilling 9-4 ten-inning victory that gave them a series split and sent them home with momentum.
Matt Hopper set the tone on the mound, pitching six innings of one-run ball, scattering seven hits while walking nobody and striking out five. His effort was an efficient start that kept Grand View in the game throughout.
The Vikings took their first lead in the fifth when Ben Sandvig singled to score two runs, putting Grand View up 2-1. Tanamor then added a two-run blast to center field in the sixth, extending the lead to 4-1. Midland battled back, tying the game at four in the seventh on a pair of singles capped by a Dax Wandler single, forcing extra innings.
That's when Grand View took over.
In the top of the tenth, two Midland errors, back-to-back hit batsmen on Thomas Maathuis and Sandvig, and a Parker Bulthuis single down the left field line produced five runs, turning a tied game into a 9-4 Vikings lead in a hurry.
Reliever Kye Kruse locked it down from there, tossing 2Â innings of shutout ball with four strikeouts to earn the win. Sandvig, hitting eighth in the order, was the offensive hero with three RBI on a 1-for-3 day. Barber and Lewnau each added two hits, and Grand View turned a key double play to help keep Midland off the board late.
Key stat: Grand View's five-run tenth came without a single extra-base hit.
Series Takeaway
Grand View split the four-game series at 2-2, with the pitching performances of Doyle in Game 1 and Hopper in Game 4 standing as the highlights of the weekend. Roderick Tanamor was the offensive standout for the Vikings, recording hits in all four games and delivering the go-ahead homer in the finale. Weston Barber was equally consistent, logging multi-hit performances in three of the four games. Parker Bulthuis was a steady defensive presence throughout, handling chances without error across the entire series.
WHATS NEXT?
Grand View returns to Lou Yacinich Stadium for the first time since their 2025 season. The Vikings will take on Culver-Stockton in a four-game series on March 14th and 15th, both days beginning at 1:00 PM.
