Mustangs thump A's, claim back-to-back MINK Titles

The 2025 MINK League season concluded the same way it started – with a dominant shutout victory by St. Joseph.

The Mustangs (38-8, 28-7 MINK) took advantage of Clarinda (27-18, 23-13 MINK) miscues and rode a strong pitching performance from Jaren Guck to a 13-0 win in the MINK League Championship clincher.

St. Joe took game one 10-6 on Thursday in Clarinda. Game two of the best-of-three series was rained out Friday, but the Mustangs didn't miss a beat on their homefield Saturday.

The Mustangs began the offensive outbreak in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a gaffe by the A's defense.

Jack Mosh led off the frame getting hit by a pitch, then moved to second on a walk to Jayden Little. Chris Coy then hit a tapper fielded by Clarinda catcher Tayvon Homolar. Homolar's throw was off-line allowing Coy to reach and Mosh to come around to score from second. Little ended up on third and scored one batter later on Easton Phillipe's sacrifice fly to center field.

With the Mustangs leading 2-0 in the third, Little again reached, this time on a single with two runners on. Brayden Luikart moved up 90-feet to third on the hit, then headed home on an error by A's right fielder Jake Espeland. After a walk to Coy to load the bases, Phillipe brought in another on his second sac fly of the night. That was the end of the road for Clarinda starter Noah Benavides. Dylan McIntyre came on in relief with hopes of ending the inning quietly and keeping Clarinda in it.

McIntyre walked the first batter he faced, Truman Bodenhaus. Frank Gall stepped up and brought in a pair on a base hit that extended the Mustangs' advantage to 6-0.

Benavides lasted just two and two-thirds innings surrendering six runs, only four earned, on just one hit. He walked five, struck out two, and hit two batters.

Clarinda kept the St. Joe bats quiet in the fourth, but the Mustangs put the game out of reach with a seven-run fifth inning. Only two of the seven runs in the fifth scored on St. Joe hits.

In total, the A's gave up 13 runs, eight earned, with eight walks in the game, while committing seven errors.

Guck went the distance for the Mustangs in the run-rule shortened game. The Northwest Missouri State graduate and St. Joseph native scattered three hits across seven innings with eight strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the summer.

The series victory marks back-to-back titles for the Mustangs, both coming against Clarinda, and 10 titles overall for the organization that began in 2009.

The A's are still in search of their first MINK League title since 2013, but have posted consecutive runner-up finishes.

MINK League Playoff Schedule