LINCOLN, Neb. – The formula on Monday (April 6) included strong pitching and defense and a little bit of grit on a windy, cool spring day in Lincoln, Neb. The Bulldogs shrugged off a slow start to game one and swept the GPAC doubleheader from Dordt, winning by scores of 6-3 and 3-1. Concordia pitchers combined for 22 strikeouts across 14 innings in freezing out Defender hitters. Veteran pitchers Alex Johnson and Caden Bugarske earned wins while Trent Schlim saved both ends of the twin bill played at Sandhills Global Youth Complex.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has won six in a row within league play to move its GPAC mark to 11-3 (23-12 overall). If all goes as planned, the Bulldogs will play four conference doubleheaders this week.
“It was a day that favored whichever team played cleaner,” Dupic said. “Both teams did a good job of that, but I think we were a touch cleaner. We gave up a couple in the first where we weren’t quite as clean. I thought Alex did a good job battling, Bugarske pitched a good game and the bullpen was great. It was not an easy day to play, but we found a way to get it done.”
Johnson went 4.2 innings in game one, settling in after a shaky start. The Defenders managed to score twice in the first with the help of a walk, hit batter and an error. From that point forward, it was tough sledding for Dordt. Johnson finished with seven punchouts and just two hits allowed on his way to career win No. 22 (in his 46th career start). Freshmen Brody Smearer (1 IP) and Schlim (1.1 IP) combined for five strikeouts while slamming the door on Dordt.
The Boerne, Texas, native Bugarske has now strung together three straight sterling outings within conference play. He took the ball in game two and racked up nine strikeouts in 5.2 innings (one run on five hits and one walk). Warren Rose entered with two out in the sixth and recorded a key strikeout with two men on base. Schlim (Eastvale, Calif.) then fired a 1-2-3 seventh to complete the sweep.
Offensively, the Bulldogs came through when they needed to (11 total hits on the day). In game one, Concordia erased the early deficit with Jake Watson’s bases clearing double in the third. Luke Wilson and Alex Draper followed with an RBI single apiece in the same frame. Insurance came in the fifth via Jimmy Blumberg’s RBI single.
In game two, the Bulldogs never trailed. Wilson produced a two-run single in the top of the first. To its credit, the Defender staff buckled down behind starter Lincoln Vander Molen and clung within a run, 2-1, heading into the seventh. That’s when Concordia added some cushion after Jaeden Jordahl was hit by a pitch and later came around to score on a wild pitch. Bronx Lewis (three walks and a hit on the day) contributed to the inning with a base hit.
Both Watson and Wilson drove in three runs on the day. Said Dupic, “We got them from different guys. Jimmy got one and Luke Wilson got a big hit for us. Jake Watson had a huge one in the first game. A couple other guys followed. It was a hard day with the conditions, but you just have to find a way to win. Our guys did that today … Trent has been crushing it. The bullpen was really good today.”
On the season, Schlim has picked up three wins and three saves while making nine appearances out of the bullpen. He has allowed only three runs and has fanned 22 hitters in 17.1 innings. On the other hand, an improved Dordt (14-20, 4-10 GPAC) opponent used eight different pitchers on Monday in the process of containing a potent Bulldog lineup. There were just two combined extra-base hits on the day (no home runs). Concordia played error-free following the first inning of game one.
The two sides will take Tuesday off before resuming the series in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Wednesday. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 2 p.m. CT from Open Space Park. The Bulldogs are also scheduled to play GPAC doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday.