TUCSON, Ariz. – The Concordia University softball team will bring plenty of confidence back with it upon its return to Nebraska. The Bulldogs dominated the competition on the final day of their stay at the Tucson Invitational. They cruised to a pair of run-rule shortened wins on Saturday (March 9), taking decisions by scores of 10-2 over Park University (Mo.) (six innings) and 15-3 over Roosevelt University (Ill.) (five innings).
Head coach Shawn Semler’s squad put everything together after starting out 1-3 against tough competition in Arizona. Concordia is now 9-3 overall and is riding an eight-game win streak that includes a victory over 25th-ranked Valley City State University (N.D.).
In the latest day of action, the Bulldogs overwhelmed the opposition with 12 hits in both contests. In the game one rout, Tori Homolka and Kylee Nixon both went 3-for-3. Nixon emerged as another in a long line of great storylines coming out of Arizona. The York High School product has started her college career going 10-for-18 (.556) with a home run and nine RBIs at the plate. Nixon doubled and homered while helping Concordia pour it on the Pirates early on Saturday morning.
In that same game, fellow freshman Camry Moore notched a pair of hits and drove in four runs. Moore’s two run single in the bottom of the sixth versus Park enacted the eight-run rule. Seven different Bulldogs collected at least one hit in the first blowout of the day.
Concordia then finished the road trip strong by pushing across multiple runs in each of the five innings against Roosevelt. Center fielder MacKinsey Schmidt enjoyed an especially noteworthy game. She tripled three times and scored three times out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Moore also starred while getting the start at first base. Moore recorded a pair of RBI singles and a sac fly as part of her monster offensive day. She finished with seven RBIs on Saturday.
Additionally, Hhana Haro homered in the first game and Nixon knocked in three runs in the second game. In the No. 9 spot in the order, Jenessa Jarvis went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI in the capper.
In the circle, Brittany Woolridge continued a nice week within her hometown of Tucson. She got the win versus Park by covering six innings. She allowed two runs on six hits and struck out two. In the second game, Woolridge threw an inning of scoreless relief. Grace Bernhardt started and tossed three innings. Megan Klenke also appeared for an inning.
Over the stretch of 12 games in Tucson, Concordia outscored its opponents by a combined total of 85-36. Haro belted three of the team’s four home runs and owns a team high 11 RBIs. The Bulldogs played three nationally ranked foes while in Arizona.
The next scheduled event on the slate is a home doubleheader with York College on March 14. Due to the weather this February and March in Nebraska, that twin bill is extremely unlikely to be played as scheduled. Updates to the slate will be announced on the web as postponements/cancelations are made.