SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A two-day performance by Camry Moore that will go down in Concordia University Softball lore has helped propel the Bulldogs to the GPAC Championship Series for the first time since 2015. In the finals of the Morningside Bracket of the GPAC tournament, Moore dominated the powerful Mustang lineup in a 4-0 victory in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday (May 6). Timely hitting allowed the Bulldogs put up one run in the first and three in the fifth.
Over two days at Jensen Softball Complex, Head Coach Shawn Semler’s squad (32-9) defeated Doane and then 13th-ranked Morningside twice to reign supreme in one of the four-team pods. These are the moments the program has been building towards. Concordia is now an automatic national qualifier no matter the outcome in the GPAC Championship Series.
“The girls have really picked up their game,” Semler said. “Cam threw so well these last two days and today she looked stronger than she has in a long time. She was sharp and her pitches were really crisp – really kept them off guard. Our hitting is coming around and the ones who were in a slump are getting out of it and taking better swings. The bottom of the lineup is not like most people’s bottom. I think the move with (Hhana) Haro at the top of the lineup was a big plus. She’s such a catalyst to us offensively. I think things are coming together.”
Moore had a lead before she even toed the rubber thanks to the first-inning RBI triple by Tori Homolka. The Crete native proceeded to flummox the Mustangs, who managed just two singles for the entire seven innings. No one would have even known that Moore covered all 14 innings on Wednesday. She even picked up her teammates in the second when back-to-back errors put runners on second and third with no outs. The next three hitters went strikeout-strikeout-pop out. This was Concordia’s game.
The Bulldogs were able avoid drama in the bottom of the seventh with a snappy 1-2-3 frame. It set off a celebration that brought back memories of the 2015 GPAC tournament title run in Sioux City.
Said Moore, “Our team is peaking at the right time. Getting that final out and coming together as a team to celebrate is one of those feelings you never forget. To beat Morningside twice on their home field two days in a row is a huge moment for our program. Our seniors, and us juniors, had never beaten Morningside and it’s something we really wanted to change … I’m super proud of this team and I can’t wait to see how we continue this postseason journey.”
That fifth inning seemed to break Morningside’s spirits. It started with a single by Caitlyn McGarvie. RBI singles soon followed from Julia Van Wey, Jenessa Jarvis and Moore. It was fitting that Moore put the finishing touches on the scoring tallies, a day after she mashed a pair of home runs. Also noteworthy, Haro went 1-for-3 with a run and became the third player in program history to reach 200 career hits.
Concordia did all of its damage off of star Morningside pitcher Lisa Bolton (four earned runs in five innings). The Mustangs (42-9) will have to hope for an at-large berth to the NAIA national tournament. In this instance, the Bulldogs’ burning desire to beat Morningside carried the day.
“Our dugout was loud,” Semler said. “It had that great tournament atmosphere. I loved it. They were so into the game and so loud. I think that really helped our players in clutch situations. When we scored three (in the fifth) it was pretty loud in our dugout – and not so much in theirs.”
The GPAC tournament title will come down to a best-of-three series at top-seeded Midland (35-8) on Saturday. First pitch of game 1 is set for 11 a.m. CT from Fremont, Neb. Concordia has previously captured GPAC tournament championships in 2007 and 2015. It was the runner up in 2014.