SEWARD, Neb. – The title of program home run king belongs to Jaidan Quinn. The All-American third baseman belted the 89th homer of his career on Friday (April 18) as part of a home doubleheader sweep of Dordt. The 15th-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team bludgeoned the Defenders by scores of 17-5 and 14-3 (eight innings) on another cool and breezy day at Plum Creek Park. The plate discipline of the Bulldogs led to 28 combined walks and Christian Gutierrez became Concordia’s all-time winningest pitcher.
The magic number as it relates to clinching an outright GPAC regular season title is down to two for Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad. The Bulldogs (31-9, 19-3 GPAC) have hit the 30-win mark in a season for the seventh time during Dupic’s tenure.
“It’s been a huge strength of ours this year,” said Dupic of the team’s plate discipline. “It kind of played itself out that way today. I thought the guys did a really good job, especially the second game. Their guy did a really nice job, but we just made him work so hard that finally in the fifth, he tired a little bit. We were able to get to the bullpen and make some things happen.”
Opposing GPAC pitchers given Quinn the Barry Bonds treatment in recent weeks, rarely offering up pitches out over the plate. But in the second inning of Friday’s first game, Quinn got a 3-1 cookie over the heart of the plate and violently parked the ball well beyond the right field fence for a two-run shot. Later in that same 10-run Concordia second inning, Quinn laced an RBI double. The Bonner Springs, Kan., native also took five walks on the day while setting the tone for a frustrating day for Dordt pitchers.
Time and time again on Friday, Bulldog hitters laid off 3-2 pitches just outside the zone. In game two, Defender starter Jared Hughes allowed just a single run through four innings. Eventually, Concordia wore him down. Hughes allowed the first four hitters in the fifth to reach (three on free passes) before being lifted for a reliever. Then in the sixth, white hot Brad Hallock turned a 5-3 lead into an 8-3 advantage with his second three-run homer of the day.
Incredibly, the Bulldog offense turned what was a 3-1 deficit after four frames into a run-rule affair. Bronx Lewis put an exclamation point on the day with a grand slam to right center in the bottom of the eighth. Concordia managed to slug four home runs on Friday despite the wind blowing in from left field. That wind had nothing to say to Quinn’s no-doubter record-breaking homer. Quinn surpassed former teammate Joey Grabanski for a new standard.
Said Quinn of the record, “It means a lot. When Joey did it, it was a really big thing. Then you have Charlie Munoz (of Cumberlands in Kentucky) – the guy’s been crushing it out there. Congrats to him. I’m happy where I’m at. I’m glad I did finally beat Joey. That was a fun one. I’ll probably be hearing about it later … Right when I got in the dugout, I think I got about 40 hugs. That’s a really good sense of team right there.”
Bulldog starting pitchers Alex Johnson and Gutierrez both earned wins on Friday. Johnson flashed dominant stuff and then was forced to sit for an extended period of time when Concordia put up 10 runs in the second inning of game one. Johnson fanned seven batters in his four innings of work. He allowed five runs on four hits and seven walks. In game two, Gutierrez logged seven innings with all three runs being unearned. Drew Oreskes hit a three-run homer in the first after an error came with two outs. Gutierrez piled up eight strikeouts and collected his 28th career win, eclipsing Nick Little (27) for the program career record.
Offensively, there were contributions made up and down the lineup. Hallock increased his GPAC season best totals to 20 home runs and 58 RBIs. From the leadoff spot, Ty Nekoliczak went 5-for-8 with six runs scored and two doubles. He also made a fine diving play of a liner at second. Nine different Bulldogs took multiple walks throughout the day. On the bases, Zack Day swiped three steals.
With Concordia on the cusp of claiming another GPAC championship, the players have kept the same laser-like focus on what’s immediately in front of them.
Said Dupic, “The leadership of the players has been really special. I feel like when I deliver a message, they listen, trust, believe it and hear it. We talked about that (the opportunity to clinch) heading into this week and we kind of expressed how we got here and how we put ourselves in this position – just by being ourselves and playing our style and the way that we play. It felt like a 15-second conversation. I think the guys do a really good job of believing in that. I’m proud of how they handle things on a daily basis.”
The same two teams will be back at Plum Creek Park at the same time on Saturday (1 p.m. CT) for another doubleheader. Between games, the Bulldogs will honor a group of 13 seniors. For a closer look at senior Alex Johnson, check out a profile on him linked HERE.