SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The home run count for the weekend grew to 17 by the time the Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team polished off a doubleheader sweep of Briar Cliff in Sioux City, Iowa, on Sunday (March 29). Freshman standout Andrew Fetty slugged three homers in a 12-2 run-rule shortened game two thumping of the Chargers. Concordia won the first game, 5-2, on a day when starting pitchers Alex Johnson and Caden Bugarske flashed dominant stuff.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad also took two from Waldorf on Saturday and now stand at 21-11 overall (9-3 GPAC).
“I was about as pleased with today’s performance as any we’ve had this year,” Dupic said. “The guys did a really good job and were good offensively. We had some really good swings. Alex Johnson was good, Caden Bugarske was good and the bullpen was good. I have a lot of respect for Briar Cliff. They have a good program. I was just really pleased.”
The wind wasn’t quite as pronounced as it was a day earlier in Forest City, but the Bulldog hitters bombed away just the same. Catcher Jake Watson initiated the power surge with a two-run blast in the first inning of Sunday’s action at Bishop Mueller Complex. Red-hot third-baseman Jimmy Blumberg also singled in a run in the fourth and belted a two-run shot of his own in the sixth to provide Johnson with plenty of cushion. Blumberg went 3-for-3 in the game and 4-for-8 on the day.
While making his 45th career start, Johnson worked around five walks in his six innings of one-run ball. His biggest pitch came in the fourth when he froze Cael Walrod for strike three with the bases loaded and two out. The Concordia ace finished with 10 strikeouts. The only run he allowed came in the fifth inning on a Cade Marquardt solo jack.
The freshman Fetty of Mukilteo, Wash., then stole the show in game two. He unloaded for a two-run blast in the first before connecting for a solo shot in both the third and eighth innings. Fetty’s performance marked the eighth time since the start of the 2023 season that a Bulldog has homered three times in a single game.
Fetty was joined in the game two home run column by teammates Jake Tyler (sixth-inning solo), Luke Wilson (seventh-inning solo) and Bronx Lewis (GPAC leading 13th blast in 2026). Meanwhile, Watson produced two more hits in game two. Blumberg, Fetty and Tyler each homered three times during the weekend road trip. Blumberg drove in 12 runs throughout the four victories.
It was a day for the elder statesmen on the mound as Caden Bugarske took the ball in game two and went six innings with 10 strikeouts. He limited a strong Briar Cliff offense to two runs on six hits and three walks. On the day, the arms that were fired from the bullpen were Trent Schlim, Warren Rose and DJ Andersen. They combined for one run allowed in three innings. Defensively, Concordia made one error in both games.
A milestone was achieved in Sunday’s game one when Zackery Day swiped second in the third inning. The result was his 100th career stolen base. Day broke the program’s career record in 2025.
By day’s end, Fetty pushed his season home run total to six. He’s now slashing .326/.445/.589 in his freshman season.
Said Dupic of Fetty, “He’s a special player. He’s going to be really, really good. He’s a good kid and fits really well here. He comes from a really good family. I love his parents. They’re great people. He can hit. He’ll have a chance to do some really good things here … Trent Schlim came back twice in two days and threw well. Jimmy Blumberg and Jake Tyler have done a really nice job towards the bottom of the order.”
Marquardt enjoyed a fine day for Briar Cliff (13-18, 6-6 GPAC) as he went 4-for-8 with two home runs out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup. Game one starting pitcher Brock Saya (5.1 IP, 4 ER) kept the Chargers in it before being relieved in the sixth. Briar Cliff endured an 0-4 weekend that also included two losses at Doane.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to make another trip to northwest Iowa this coming week. A four-game series with Dordt (14-18, 4-8 GPAC) is slated for April 3-4 in Sioux Center, Iowa. As part of this weekend’s GPAC action, the Defenders took three of four from Mount Marty.