MITCHELL, S.D. – The whiffs piled up on Thursday (April 16) as overpowering hurlers Alex Johnson and Micah Sweeton were on their game. The dynamic right-handers combined for 22 strikeouts on a warm day from Drake Field in Mitchell, S.D. Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball elevated its win streak to six with a 10-1 game one victory before relinquishing a late lead and falling in game two, 6-5, at the hands of Dakota Wesleyan. The final out of game two was recorded with a Bulldog runner stranded at second.
Down to the final two weeks of the regular season, Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s program has hopes of making a push for another GPAC championship. The Bulldogs sit at 17-5 in league play (29-14 overall) in a three-team race for the top spot.
“I thought we played well in the first game and didn’t play well enough in the second one,” Dupic said. “We got two good starts, but couldn’t defend well enough in game two and left too many things on the table … The starting pitching has been good. They’ve done a really nice job and have been putting us in a good position. Hopefully they can keep that up.”
In the stretch run of his final collegiate season, Johnson has found a groove. Five days after racking up a career-high 15 strikeouts versus Northwestern, the Olathe, Kan., native padded the K numbers with 14 more punchouts on Thursday. Johnson covered six innings and limited the Tigers to one run on six hits and two walks in latest outing. His program career strikeout tally has eclipsed 300 (302 and counting). Johnson has won all six of his starts within league play in 2026.
Game one was tight in the early innings before Concordia busted it open with four runs in the fourth and three runs in the sixth. As part of his productive doubleheader, catcher Jake Watson doubled home two runs in the fourth and singled in two more in the sixth. Other Bulldogs with multiple hits in game one were Jaeden Jordahl, Bronx Lewis and Luke Wilson. Lewis doubled and knocked in three runs. Concordia also drew eight walks, including three from Andrew Fetty and two from Jordahl.
The Bulldogs appeared primed for a doubleheader sweep of DWU when they took a 3-1 lead to the bottom of the sixth. After spinning a gem through the first five frames, Sweeton ran into trouble with a leadoff walk. Two batters later, Talan Ball knotted the game with a two-run homer to left. Later in the inning, Lane Darrow tripled home three runs off reliever Trent Schlim to stake the Tigers to a 6-3 advantage.
DWU (17-22, 8-14 GPAC) then survived a charge from Concordia in the seventh. Watson belted a two-run homer (eighth of the season) to left with two outs. Wilson followed with a double before Tiger reliever Nate Huisken managed to retire Carson Burnett on a lineout to right, ending the threat. Dakota Munger earned credit for the win while tossing 1.2 innings in relief of DWU starter Brayden Cherrey (5 IP).
Sweeton finished with eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings. He was saddled with four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks. He was coming off a complete game shutout of Midland. In relief of Sweeton, Schlim allowed two runs in his two-thirds of an inning.
Watson is the man who keeps catching the pellets fired by a pitching staff that leads the NAIA in strikeouts per nine innings. The Lincoln Christian High School product accumulated four hits and six RBIs on Thursday. Wilson also added two hits in both ends of the twin bill. In game two, Fetty notched two hits (including a double) and Zackery Day swiped two stolen bases. The pitching staff totaled 25 K’s for the day. DJ Andersen added two of his own in an inning of work in game one.
Said Dupic of Watson, “He’s putting together really consistent at bats and doing a really nice job.”
As part of the restructured series, the Bulldogs will be back at Drake Field again on Sunday for a 1 p.m. CT doubleheader with Dakota Wesleyan. There are six games remaining in the 2026 regular season.