Concordia sweeps past Dordt College to open GPAC play

The Concordia University baseball team opened up conference play with two wins over Dordt College on Wednesday afternoon in Seward.  Scores of the games were 6-2 and 4-1.  The Bulldogs got tremendous outings from pitchers Steven Ivanoff and Jacob Yurich on the day.  With the wins, Concordia improved to 11-12 overall and 2-0 in the conference.  Dordt fell to 1-11 overall and 0-2 in GPAC play. 

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead in game one.  Concordia scored four runs in the bottom of the first.  Zak Goodrich (Lutz, Fla.) singled to lead off the inning.  Following a stolen base by Goodrich, T.J. Conway (Crete, Neb.) reached on a fielder’s choice that advanced Goodrich to third.  A bunt single by Anthony Flores (Craig, Colo.) put the Bulldogs on top 1-0.  Following a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Pflug (Ft. Morgan, Colo.) which advanced runners to second and third, Ray Finley (Tucson, Ariz.) drove in Conway with a sacrifice fly.  Dustin Matlock (Colorado Springs, Colo.) followed with an RBI double to plate Flores, and Nate Comes (Grimes, Iowa) knocked in Matlock with an RBI single to give Concordia a 4-0 advantage. 

In the second, Concordia scored again to take a 5-0 lead.  Goodrich and Conway singled with one out in the inning.  Both runners advanced on a stolen base, and Goodrich scored on a fielder’s choice groundout by Pflug.  The Bulldogs tacked on another run in the fifth inning.  A Dordt College wild pitch put Concordia up by the score of 6-0 after five innings. 

The visiting Defenders scored a pair of unearned runs in the sixth inning.  Following a hit batter and a Bulldog error, Phillip Sears drove in two with a triple for the final score of 6-2. 

Concordia totaled eight hits in the game compared to just four for Dordt College.  Goodrich and Matlock each had two hits for the Bulldogs offensively.  Steven Ivanoff (Tucson, Ariz.) picked up his first win of the year on the mound.  The junior worked all seven innings and allowed the two runs on four hits with no walks and 11 strikeouts. 

Despite managing only two hits in the second game, Concordia still found a way to pick up the 4-1 victory. 

Dordt took an early lead in the second.  An RBI groundout put the Defenders on top 1-0.  The Bulldogs quickly responded with a single run in the bottom of the second.  Concordia loaded the bases with just one out in the inning.  A wild pitch allowed Pflug to score Concordia’s first run of the game. 

The score remained the same until the bottom of the sixth.  Concordia took advantage of some Dordt miscues to plate three runs and take control of the game.  Conway was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning.  A Dordt College error placed runners at the corners.  Pflug was then hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Finley followed with an RBI groundout to score Conway.  Matlock followed with an RBI single to score Flores.  With two outs in the inning, Matlock got in a rundown between first and second.  Matlock was eventually tagged out on the play, but Pflug scored before Matlock was retired. 

Dordt College went quickly and quietly in the seventh, and Concordia secured the sweep with the 4-1 win. 

Finley and Matlock had the only hits for the Bulldogs in game two.  Jacob Yurich (Aurora, Colo.) picked up the win on the mound to improve to 3-2 on the year.  The senior went the distance and allowed just the one run on three hits with four strikeouts.

Concordia continues GPAC play on Saturday with home games against Midland University.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Plum Creek Park.