FOREST CITY, Iowa – The Bulldog bats popped for 40 total hits driving in 33 runs in the twin bill sweep of Waldorf on Friday (April 17). Laycee Josoff mashed two four-baggers in one inning of game one (20-5) and Kiera Farritor barreled three doubles in game two (13-9). Concordia University, Nebraska slugged 16 extra base connections in the offensive frenzy at Al Buckley Field.
Head Coach Brock Culler and the attacking stick Dawgs are 19-16 overall and 8-8 in conference play.
“The weather was a real factor,” Coach Culler said. “It’s probably the coldest game we have ever played in. Our team, just had guts. They showed grit and they were like we just cannot lose today. I’m so proud of our team in that regard. I love being around them. They are always competing hard. It was really tough. The easy thing to do would have been to shut it down. Our team was like we have to be better in this weather than them.”
Held to only three runs in the first five frames (5-3), the Bulldogs needed an answer in the batter’s box. Josoff was the buzz saw on the bookends of a nine-run sixth inning. The second baseman mashed two over the outfield wall that amounted to four plated runs to end the frame with a 12-5 lead. Josoff’s homers were her first and second of the season as the Yutan, Neb., native crushed the ball offensively (6-for-10) in the two games.
Culler said, “She was really excited about it. She was swinging at good pitches and her swing was smooth today. All day today, she was putting the ball in play really hard.”
Bailey Merritt (3-for-4) and Grace Zaugg (3-for-5) had three hits apiece in game one.
The Warriors just wouldn’t go away in game two as Concordia found itself down one going into the seventh. A barrage of six hits producing came from Merritt, Ava Martinez, Mary Beth Hart (RBI double), Taryn Ganstrom (two RBI double), Farritor (RBI double), and Zaugg (RBI single). The Dawgs hit 10 doubles in the final outing.
Relying on the steady hand of Kaylei Denison, the hurler would come in for the last 1.2 innings to shut down Waldorf for zero runs and took the game win. She went 2-0 on the day.
Farritor (three runs, two RBIs) dropped the extra-base hammer three times in game two and in a similar fashion as Josoff went 6-for-10 offensively. Josoff finished with a team-high seven RBIs. Five players had at least four knocks including Josoff, Farritor, Merritt (5-for-8), Zaugg (4-for-7) and Ganstrom (4-for-9). Aubriana Krieser and Zaugg drove in four runs each.
Ava Martinez clobbered the first homer of her collegiate career. Elena Shipley and Piper Seidl cracked their first career hits in game one.
Concordia (19-16, 8-8 GPAC) won’t have much time before facing Dordt (31-10, 12-4 GPAC) at the ASB Sports Complex on Saturday (April 18). The Bulldogs will take the field at 1 p.m. CT in Sioux Center, Iowa.