Baseball team splits final two Lancers games with a 14-1 win and 13-12 loss
Senior pitcher Christian Gutierrez throws a pitch (photo from previous game).
Photo credit: Cohen Carpenter
By Kai Olbrich
Despite impressive offensive numbers, the Concordia University baseball team had to settle for a split, a 14-1 win and 13-12 loss, of the final two games in its four-game series away at the Mount Marty University Lancers field in Yankton, S.D.
The two games on April 13 were consistent for the Bulldogs on the hitting side, but the pitching went awry in the final game which broke a 14-game Bulldog win streak.
The Bulldogs took the lead early in the first game and didn’t look back. Senior Bradley Hallock opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning. The Bulldogs then added five runs in the fourth inning, two in the sixth inning, and five more in the seventh. Mount Marty’s lone run came in the bottom of the sixth.
Hallock was the standout hitter for the Bulldogs. In addition to his two-run home run, he contributed a three-run homer in the fifth and a two-RBI double in the seventh. He completed the game three for three on hits, seven RBIs, had three runs, and was walked twice.
Sophomore Matthew Rhoades also added to his home run tally with a two-run shot in the seventh.
Senior Braxton Greenburg pitched the bulk of the game for Concordia and got the win. In 5.1 innings he allowed five hits, zero runs, walked four, and struck out eight. Junior Ernie Snyder pitched the remaining 1.2 innings in which he gave up three hits, one run, walked one, and struck out two Lancers.
In the final game of the day, the Bulldogs picked up right where they had left off, bringing in four runs in the top of the first inning. Two of those runs were brought in, once again, by Hallock who notched his team-high 18th homer of the season.
Unlike in the first game, however, the Lancer began to respond, bringing in a consistent stream of runs throughout the second, third, and fourth innings before challenging the Bulldogs with a five-run haul in the bottom of the sixth.
The Bulldogs retook a two-point lead in the seventh inning, but the Lancers responded once again with two of their own to tie the game at 11. A runless ninth inning left the match all square and took it to a tenth.
Junior Bronx Lewis was nearly the hero for the Bulldogs as he sent a solo home run over the fence to give Concordia the advantage, but Mount Marty was able to walk it off in the bottom of the tenth after a walk and a sacrifice fly brought in two runners.
Junior Jaeden Jordahl had a productive day in the batter’s box. Jordahl recorded three hits, three RBIs, and a run while walking once. Rhoades had two RBIs off of two hits as well as a run.
Five pitchers saw action for Concordia. Freshman Micah Sweeton pitched 5.1 innings in which he gave up 10 hits, seven runs, and struck out three. Freshman Harrison Hoiekvam had 0.1 innings, walked three, and gave up two runs and a hit. Junior Jake Nelms had 1.1 innings, one run, two walks, and two strikeouts. Senior Logan Fragomeni had 0.2 innings, three hits, and a run. Junior Cameron Pickens was the final pitcher of the day. In 1.2 innings he gave up two hits, two runs, one walk, and struck out two.
The 29-9 (17-3 Great Plains Athletic Conference) Bulldogs are back in action at home on April 18 and 19 for a four-game series against Dordt University. The games on April 19 will recognize the Bulldog seniors.
