Sower sports roundup, week of March 1
By Kai Olbrich, Keith Siek, and Joseph McCarroll
Concordia Athletics continued their spring sports this week. Here are some of the scores that Bulldog fans might have missed.
Baseball
No. 18 Bulldogs baseball suffered four losses to No. 17 St. Thomas University last week. The four-game sweep leaves the Bulldogs 1-6 against ranked competition this year.
Bulldog pitching had limited success against St. Thomas. Graduate students Alex Johnson and Caden Bugarske pitched four innings of work in their appearances. Johnson gave up four earned runs in the Bulldogs’ 11-2 loss, and Bugarske allowed three earned runs in Concordia’s 8-4 loss.
Saint Thomas scored 46 runs against Concordia’s pitching staff, assisted by 10 errors.
On the offensive side, freshman Andrew Fetty and senior Jaeden Jordahl put together good at-bats during the series. Fetty knocked in four RBI’s to go along with five hits, including a double. Jordahl contributed three RBIs on five hits with a double and a home run over the series.
Junior Luke Wilson tallied three hits in Concordia’s 12-8 loss. Wilson joined teammates Fetty and Jordahl with two RBIs on the day.
Bulldog hitters struck out at least eleven times in each game, reaching sixteen strikeouts as a team in Concordia’s 15-3 loss.
After losing four games to St. Thomas University, Concordia moves to 11-7 on the year and looks forward to two games against Mayville State University beginning March 9.
Softball
The Bulldog softball team took on Baker University and Bethany University down in Wichita, Kansas, on March 7, earning a 5-2 win against Bethany and an 11-3 loss in five innings to Baker.
Junior Kaylei Denison pitched all seven innings against Bethany, giving up two runs on eight hits. Denison struck out four hitters and earned her first win of the season for her performance.
Sophomore Keira Ferritor homered in a pair of RBI’s in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game. Junior Aubriana Krieser followed up with a two-RBI home run in the sixth inning, helping extend Concordia’s lead late in the game.
Against Baker University, Krieser knocked in two more RBI’s for the Bulldogs on the strength of a double. The rest of Concordia’s scoring came from senior Grace Zaugg, who opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second inning.
The Bulldog pitchers gave up nine earned runs on thirteen hits in four and a half innings of work against Baker, and the fielding surrendered three errors.
Bulldogs softball moves to 9-7 and looks ahead to Fremont, Nebraska, where they will open their Great Plains Athletic Conference season as they take on Midland University in a double header on March 18.
Men’s tennis
Concordia men’s tennis split its weekend road and home schedule, defeating Grand View University 7-0 on March 6 and losing to Missouri Baptist, ranked No. 14 in the country, 4-1 the next day. The Bulldogs’ season record now stands at 9-2.
In singles, Grand View was defeated by the Bulldogs on all six courts. While junior Daniel Caballeros fought through a super tiebreak to win, seniors Hugo Fuentes and Nick Velders, sophomore Ben Chisholm, freshman Leo Lopez and junior Michael Bedrosian all won in straight sets. On Saturday, Chisholm scored Concordia’s only point against Missouri Baptist with a 6-4, 6-3 effort.
Doubles action saw Concordia victory on all three doubles courts versus Grand View, highlighted by a 6-2 win from Gajic/Fuentes and tight 7-5 victories from the remaining pairings. The Bulldogs picked up one doubles win against Missouri Baptist, with Velders/Caballeros earning a 6-4 result, while the Spartans claimed the other two courts.
Women’s tennis
Concordia women’s tennis split its weekend slate, rolling past Grand View University 7-0 on March 6 before falling 4-0 to Missouri Baptist the following day. The Bulldogs now hold an 8-4 overall record.
In singles, Concordia was dominant against Grand View, sweeping all six courts in convincing fashion. Senior Mariana Molano, junior Chakira Derman, senior Alana Lopez Pagan, sophomore Ishane Derman, junior Alexa Richert, and sophomore Nina Milic all secured straight-set wins, with Ishane rallying for a 10-7 super-tiebreak victory.
Concordia claimed two of three doubles courts versus Grand View, led by Ishane Derman/ Molano winning a tight 7-5 match and Richert/Powell earning a 6–2 victory. Against Missouri Baptist, the Bulldogs were unable to grab a doubles’ point, with all three courts going to the Spartans by identical 6-2 scores.
Cheer and Dance
The Concordia cheer and dance teams competed in their respective GPAC championship events on March 6 and 7.
The Dance team competed against some of the very best in the country and placed third overall, just behind Doane, and seven points behind champions Midland.
The Bulldogs posted a score of 87.68 in the prelims and 88.09 in the finals for a total score of 87.99. The score was their second-best of the season behind their winning performance at the Concordia Invitational on Feb. 7.
The rest of the postseason is in the hands of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics selection committee, which will decide if Concordia will compete at the NAIA National Cheer and Dance Championships.
The cheer team placed eighth at the GPAC championship with a score of 76.73. The Bulldogs improved from prelims to finals with a 76.08 and 76.95. The score is the third-highest of the season for Concordia.
