Sower sports roundup, week of March 22

By Keith Siek, Aaron Spivey, Ransom Watts, and Kai Olbrich

Baseball

No. 19 Concordia Baseball faced off twice against Waldorf University on March 28, sweeping the doubleheader 5-4 and 20-6. The Bulldogs followed up with a pair of wins over Briar Cliff University, 5-2 and 12-2 on March 29.

Senior Jimmy Bloomberg led Concordia’s offense against Waldorf with a pair of two-hit games and nine RBIs. In the Bulldog’s 5-4 extra innings win, Bloomberg doubled in senior Bronx Lewis to deliver the come-from-behind victory for Concordia.

Bloomberg cleared the fence with a home run twice during the 20-run outburst for Concordia, and he tallied 7 RBIs on the day. He continued his success with four hits, a home run and a double in two games against Briar Cliff.

Junior Alex Draper hit home runs in back-to-back games against Waldorf. Draper helped erase Concordia’s two-run deficit with a solo home run in the seventh inning. He followed up in the second win over Waldorf by hitting a three-RBI home run while recording a three-hit game.

Freshman Andrew Fetty knocked in three home runs against Briar Cliff in the Bulldogs’ second win of the doubleheader. Concordia tallied a combined nine home runs in their wins against Briar Cliff.

Freshman Devin Gonor recorded the win in Concordia’s second victory over Waldorf, striking out 11 hitters in 5.1 innings. Sophomore Micah Sweeton pitched three innings in the opening game against Waldorf and recorded three strikeouts.

Freshman Trent Schlim pitched the seventh and eighth innings against Waldorf and earned the win in his relief appearance. Schlim struck out three hitters and surrendered zero runs, hits or walks to close out Concordia’s extra-inning game.

Graduate students Alex Johnson and Caden Bugarski each tallied a win, pitching against Briar Cliff. Johnson recorded 10 strikeouts in his five-inning start, and Bugarski matched that mark with 10 strikeouts during his six-inning appearance.

Baseball moves to 21-11 on the year and stands in third place in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Concordia continues its season in Sioux Center, Iowa, playing a four-game series against Dordt University beginning on April 6.

Softball

Bulldog softball competed against Bellevue, Morningside, and Dakota Wesleyan, going 1-4 in the action last week. Concordia fell to Bellevue 8-2, split a doubleheader against Morningside 2-4, 3-1, and dropped two games to Dakota Wesleyan 6-3 and 15-0.

Junior Aubriana Krieser recorded 8 hits during the series, with at least one base knock in each game. Krieser flashed power, hitting a double against Bellevue and a home run against Morningside. She also sprinkled in three multiple hit days in the five games for the Bulldogs this week.

Freshman Kierstyn Linn pitched all seven innings in Concordia’s sole win of the week against Morningside. Linn recorded 1 earned run and three strikeouts during her 98-pitch outing.

Junior Kaylei Denison also recorded two complete games against Morningside and Dakota Wesleyan. Denison gave up three earned runs and dealt five strikeouts against Morningside. She followed up with a 5-strikeout performance against Wesleyan, while surrendering five earned runs.

Bulldogs softball falls to 13-12 on the year, with a record of 2-4 against Great Plains Athletic Conference competition. Concordia looks ahead to a two-game series against Hastings College, which will begin on April 6 in Seward, Nebraska.

Dance

The Concordia dance team competed at its first-ever national competition on March 27-28 in Topeka, Kansas.

The Bulldogs were in ninth after the preliminary round, but rose to eighth by the end of finals. Concordia’s cumulative score was 84.26.

The ten-person squad was comprised of eight GPAC All-Conference competitors. First-team honorees were freshman Lana Tillman, sophomore Bianca Romshek, junior Hanna Bitner and senior Taylor Larsen. The third team featured three freshmen: Addison Sample, Sienna Kelly, and Cam Ottersberg, along with senior Elise O’Neill.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics competitive dance National Championships conclude a historic season for the Bulldogs.

Women’s Golf

The Concordia women’s golf squad earned a third-place finish at the Bethel College Spring Invitational, highlighted by a top-five individual effort.

The tournament was held March 28-29 at Sand Creek Station and included several NAIA programs. Tyler Junior College placed first with a team score of 672, followed by Doane with 683. Concordia recorded 692 to take third place.

Senior Maddie Lewis was the top finisher for Concordia, placing fourth overall with a score of 167. Sophomore Savannah McFalls finished tied for 8th with 171, while senior Emery Custer tied for 11th with 172.

The Bulldogs lowered their team’s score by 22 strokes between the first and second rounds. The next meet will take place on April 7-8 at Highlands GC in Lincoln, Neb.

Men’s Golf

The men’s golf team finished right in the middle of the pack at the Bethel College Spring Invitational as they tied for seventh in a 14-team field. The Bulldogs were in contention for first place after day one, but the second round got away from them and dropped their placement.

Freshman Logan Krabbenhoft led the Bulldogs with a team-low 160-stroke total. Just like the team, Krabbenhoft was in the mix for a first-place finish at the end of round one with a 76, but his 84 final round knocked him down a few pegs.

Freshman Tyler Weismann and senior Jake Richmond were close behind with scores of 161 and 162, respectively. Weismann also shot 76 through the first round.

Rounding out the top four was freshman Calvin Zabloudil, who broke the Concordia mold by improving his first-round score of 83 to 80 in round two.

The Bulldogs will be in York on April 11 for the Bulldog Tiger Cup.