The Concordia University softball team was eliminated from the 2008 Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament on Friday afternoon as the Doane College Tigers pulled off an 11-8, extra inning comeback victory at the Smith Softball Complex in Hastings, Neb.
The Bulldog pitching staff was touched up for 11 runs on 17 hits as the Tigers roared back from an 8-3 fourth inning deficit, after senior Samantha Hellbusch put Concordia in front on a monstrous home run to deep left field. In the top of the fifth inning Doane had back-to-back-to-back homeruns that pulled the Tigers within two. After a Bulldog error in the sixth that led to another Doane run, the Tiger tied the game in the top of the seventh with another home run.
The two teams were quiet on offense until the top of the eleventh inning when Steph Mosely for Doane had a one out double to left field. The Bulldogs looked to be in good shape when senior Sarah Bergen was able to induce a shallow fly ball for out number two.
The wheels then came off as the next two hitters for Doane would single and double and single respectively to give the Tigers an 11-8 lead. Concordia looked to be answering in the bottom of the tenth when junior catcher Charlotte Kaeding led off with a ringing single to left field. Laura Fugate then came up and hit a fastball off the end of the bat that took a crazy hop and as Doanes second baseman Kristen Schmidt went to play the ball collided with Kaeding, forcing Kaeding to be out on interference.
Doane pitcher Joy Vasa was then able to get the Bulldogs next two hitters to fly out to centerfield and leftfield to end the game in favor of the Tigers.
Bergen was charged with the loss for the Bulldogs, as she came in for relief work, going four complete innings giving up three runs (all earned) on five hits. Bergen came in to relieve Courtney Peretto the Bulldogs first reliever who had came in for starter Caitlin Lawrence.
Vasa picked up the win for the Tigers, going six complete giving up five hits and no runs to move the Tigers into the losers' bracket championship game.
The Bulldogs were led by Kaeding who went 4-for-5 on the day. Christy Jeppesen added a 2-for-5 with two RBI as Hellbusch finished the day going 1-for-3 with a homerun and three RBI.
The Bulldogs will now wait to see what seed they will earn for the NAIA Region III championship tournament, which will be played May 8-9 in Sioux City, Iowa.
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