WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Senior Bronx Lewis helped ensure the Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team left Florida with at least one victory. Lewis homered twice in Monday (March 9)’s second game of a doubleheader with Mayville State University (N.D.). The Bulldogs dropped game one, 8-4, before bouncing back to win game two, 6-4. The two contests were played in Winter Haven, Fla., as part of the RussMatt Invitational.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad will take a 12-8 overall record into the start of conference play. Some aspects of the team are a work in progress.
“Second game was a little better – we got a couple good swings and got better pitching and defense,” Dupic said. “It was a tale of two games, which is a little bit disappointing. Hopefully we can do better as we move forward. We’re going to figure it out.”
In Monday’s first game, Concordia never dug out of the hole created by a four-run first inning for the Comets of Mayville, N.D. The Bulldogs did manage to draw within 5-3 when catcher Jake Watson launched a solo homer in the fifth. However, Mayville State responded by tacking on three runs in the bottom of the fifth. A two-run double by Tony Villarreal was the back breaker. Concordia missed an opportunity in the sixth, following an Andrew Fetty RBI double, as three straight strikeouts stranded runners at first and second.
In game two, the Comets dented the scoreboard in the top of the first with Cam Goff’s two-run homer. The Bulldogs answered with fireworks of their own as Lewis (two-run shot) and Luke Wilson (solo blast) left the yard in the bottom half. Lewis later added a homer in the fifth to help extend the lead to 6-3. It was a stellar day for the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native Lewis, who went 4-for-6 with two walks, two runs, three RBIs and a stolen base, in addition to the two big flies.
In game two, Trent Schlim quieted the Mayville State bats by throwing three scoreless innings in relief. Schilm notched four strikeouts while picking up the win. He then gave the ball to DJ Andersen for the save. Concordia’s starting pitchers on the day were Ernie Snyder in game one and Cameron Pickens in game two. In other noteworthy relief efforts from game one, Brody Smearer covered 3.2 innings (no earned runs) and Daiten Schmidt tossed two shutout frames. The Bulldogs were charged with one error defensively on the day.
Concordia fell in game one despite two hits apiece from Fetty, Jaeden Jordahl, Lewis and Watson. In game two, Lewis and Wilson produced two hits each. On the bases, the Bulldogs were 9-for-9 in their stolen base attempts for the day. The program’s all-time leading base stealer, Zackery Day, swiped four bags in game two while creeping closer to 100 for his career (currently at 95). As for Lewis, he has belted a team-high eight home runs through this season’s first 20 games.
From a results perspective, the trip wasn’t what Concordia hoped for. Before splitting with Mayville State (12-5), it was swept in a four-game series by No. 17 St. Thomas University (Fla.). Dupic hopes the games against strong nonconference competition will sharpen the Bulldogs for conference play.
Said Dupic, “We definitely saw a lot of guys play. There were a lot of opportunities for people to show what they can do and give us a sense for what they bring to the table. I would like to think we learned a lot about our team. We’ll get set for the weekend and the start of conference play.”
The turnaround will be quicker than originally scheduled as the four-game GPAC opening series with Mount Marty (9-11, 0-0 GPAC) has been moved up to Friday-Saturday instead of Saturday-Sunday. Friday’s doubleheader will be played at Sandhills Global Complex in Lincoln, Neb., and Saturday’s twin bill will be contested at Plum Creek Park in Seward. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. CT both days.