By Toby Semler, Athletic Communications Intern
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Softball team, fresh off a home sweep on Saturday, took on Briar Cliff University on Sunday (April 25) in a doubleheader at Plum Creek Park. Behind Camry Moore, the first game ended by the run rule in five innings with Concordia winning by a score of 8-0. The Chargers took game 2, 5-3.
Head Coach Shawn Semler’s Bulldogs concluded their home season today in the split with Briar Cliff. Concordia now stands 24-8 overall and 10-6 in the GPAC. Currently, the Bulldogs come in at fifth in the GPAC sitting behind No. 11 Morningside, Midland, Jamestown and Northwestern.
While the first game may have been everything Bulldog fans could’ve hoped for, the second game was a nail-biter down to the final out. Semler is optimistic about how his lineup will come together down the stretch. Said Semler, “Even in that second game, we stranded ten runners and we just haven’t had good at bats with some of the kids that are traditionally really good for us.”
In game 1, the Bulldogs got off to a bit of a slow start, being held scoreless in the first two innings – but in the bottom of the third they got hot. Concordia scored four runs in that half inning on six hits, including an RBI triple from Janessa Jarvis and a run-scoring double apiece by Hhana Haro and Camry Moore. The scoring didn’t end there for the Bulldogs as they tacked on with four more runs in the fourth (Tori Homolka drove in three of them with a double) while earning the run-rule victory over the Chargers. In the circle, Moore and Zoe Flores combined to limit Briar Cliff to just two hits. Moore also fired a five-inning shutout on Saturday.
Early in game 2 the Bulldogs looked as if their bats had not cooled down. After Kylee Nixon reached on an error in the first, a single up the middle from Haro put Concordia ahead 1-0. In the very next inning freshman catcher Brenna Brown left the yard for her first collegiate homer, putting the Bulldogs up by two – but the script was quickly flipped on freshman pitcher Jerzi Rowe as the fourth inning rolled around and the Charger bats came to life. Briar Cliff put up two runs of their own in the fourth to tie the game. Concordia would reclaim the lead in the bottom half of the fourth after back-to-back extra base hits from Caitlyn McGarvie and Regan Karel. Then in the sixth, an error, a few hits and a hit batter got the Chargers back in business. They tallied three runs in the top of the sixth inning to put them ahead, 5-3. The Bulldogs were taken care of quick in the sixth and stranded a pair of runners in the seventh to end the game. Mailee Jensen managed to retire Homolka and Haro with two runners on base, putting a halt to the threat.
Three road doubleheaders remain on the regular season schedule. Concordia will take on the College of Saint Mary (7-28, 2-16 GPAC) on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT in Omaha. The Flames fell twice at home to Dordt on Saturday.