Bulldogs drop to 2-6 in GPAC play with losses at Morningside College

Concordia University dropped to 12-19 overall and 2-6 in GPAC play with a pair of baseball losses at Morningside College on Saturday.  Scores of the games were 4-1 and 8-7.  The Mustangs improved to 20-13 overall and 6-2 in conference play with the wins. 

Steven Aschinger picked up the win on the mound for Morningside in game one.  He allowed just one run on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts to move to 5-2 on the year.  Morningside scored one in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth.  Travis Hanson and Bill Meacham each drove in two runs for the Mustangs in the victory.

Concordia’s lone run came on a pinch hit solo homer by Joe Brandenburg (Waconia, Minn.) in the top of the seventh inning.  Anthony Flores (Craig, Colo.) and Kyle Ivanoff (Tucson, Ariz.) had the only other hits on the day for Concordia.  Jordan Stirtz (Gretna, Neb.) suffered the loss on the mound.  He allowed the four runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings of work. 

Game two went down to the wire, as Morningside scored in the bottom of the seventh to pick up the win. 

The Mustangs grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.  A fielder’s choice RBI groundout by Martin Rodriguez (Tucson, Ariz.) got Concordia on the board in the second, but Morningside took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Alex Smith. 

Concordia scored a pair of run in the third and fourth innings to grab a 5-4 lead.  T.J. Conway (Crete, Neb.) scored on a wild pitch, and Dustin Matlock (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added an RBI single for the Bulldogs in the third.  Conway had an RBI single, and Ray Finley (Tucson, Ariz.) delivered a sacrifice fly in the fourth. 

The Bulldogs took advantage of a Morningside error and a sacrifice fly by Tate Bedwell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) to take a 6-4 lead in the fifth.  Morningside used one hit and two Concordia errors to tie the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the fifth. 

The teams again traded runs in the sixth.  An RBI single by Rodriguez put Concordia back on top, but an RBI double by Travis Hanson again pulled the Mustangs even. 

Concordia was unable to score in the top of the seventh.  In the bottom of the inning, Morningside opened the inning with two singles that put runners at first and third.  Concordia recorded two outs and decided to intentionally walk Hanson to load the bases.  AJ Staiert earned a walk to send in the winning run. 

Flores was a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs scored, while Zak Goodrich (Lutz, Fla.), Conway and Matlock all had two hits for the Bulldogs offensively in game two.  Josh Anderson (Westminster, Colo.) suffered the loss on the mound in relief. 

Concordia hosts Briar Cliff University on Sunday at Plum Creek Park.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm at Memorial Field.