Bulldog bats silenced by Simpson hurlers
*Box scores not available at time of release
The Bulldog bats went cold as they were swept in a doubleheader at Simpson University in Redding, Calif., on Tuesday afternoon. The host Red Hawks won by scores of 4-2 and 8-0 to improve their record to 13-8 on the season. Concordia softball fell to 2-7 overall and remains winless in The Golden State after completing six of its first eight games in the San Francisco area.
“We didn’t hit the ball well,” head coach Frank Greene said. “We had runners on in the first game, but not so much in the second game. We were in both games – the first one for sure. We let them get three runs in the fifth.
“We’ve got enough hitters that we should be scoring more runs. We have to put the bat on the ball. It’s as simple as that. At times we made good contact, but it didn’t go anywhere.”
Junior right-hander Amanda Beeson made her fifth start in the circle in game one and kept the Bulldogs in it. She struck out seven and allowed seven hits in a six-inning complete-game performance. It was her third complete game already this season.
“It was a real strong outing for Amanda,” Greene said. “She pitched a good game. I just don’t think we gave her the run support she needed.”
Concordia trailed just 1-0 in a pitcher’s dual heading into the fifth inning. Simpson extended its lead to 4-0 by adding three runs in the bottom of the fifth.
The Bulldogs then tallied their only two runs of the day in the sixth inning to cut the deficit in half. With two outs and no one on base, sophomore Molly Madsen doubled. Sophomore Liz Maxwell reached on an error to put runners on the corners. Sophomore Clarissa Beving and junior Amber Topil followed with an RBI double each.
However, Concordia went down quietly in the seventh and could not overcome 12 strikeouts in the opening game of the day. In the two games, the Bulldogs mustered only six combined hits.
Freshman Julia Tyree got her fourth start as a pitcher in game two. The Red Hawks managed to catch on to the young right-hander from Benicia, Calif., and ended up winning by the eight-run rule by tacking on three runs in the sixth.
Concordia will complete its eight-game California tour on Wednesday with a doubleheader at William Jessup. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CST/2 p.m. PST in Rocklin, Calif. Both games can be heard live online via the Concordia Sports Network with Mike Meyer calling the action.