TUCSON, Ariz. – Ace pitcher Megan Eurich went the distance in completing two games on Tuesday (March 5) as the Concordia University Softball team enjoyed a successful first day at the 2024 Tucson Invite. A five-hit day for Zoie Isom helped power the Bulldogs to wins by scores of 7-0 over Dickinson State University (N.D.) and 8-0 over Tabor College (Kan.) in a run-rule shortened affair. The Gretna, Neb., native Eurich racked up 17 strikeouts in the finest statistical day of her collegiate career.
This was the type of confidence builder that Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad had been looking for while in the midst of a high-volume stretch of games. Concordia stands at 6-10 overall.
“Pitching, defense and hitting – everything was going well for us today,” Culler said. “We played really well defensively and were outstanding offensively. It was just a good day. We’ve been trying to put pieces together and get things figured out. Even in warmups when we got to the field, it felt like we had it. It had that look and feel to it.”
Eurich found another level on Tuesday while completely flummoxing hitters from both Dickinson State and Tabor. The 5-foot-10 right-hander allowed a grand total of three baserunners (two singles and a walk) to the Blue Hawks in Tuesday’s first contest. Eurich retired the first 11 hitters she faced, worked four 1-2-3 innings and accumulated eight strikeouts. In the second game, five innings were sufficient to complete the game. Eurich surrendered four hits (all singles) to the Bluejays while amassing nine strikeouts.
While Isom posted five hits, there were contributions from up and down the Bulldog lineup. In the first victory of the Tucson Invite, runs came home via a passed ball (Grace Maguire scored), a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch taken by Jennifer Katz, an RBI single apiece by Delanie Voshell and Aubrey Bruning before Isom broke the game wide open. The Fillmore, Calif., native cleared the bases with a triple that capped the contest’s scoring.
The flurry continued with a 10-hit team performance versus Tabor. Taylor Glause doubled and scored twice and Julia Van Wey notched two hits of her own. The five-run third keyed the run rule. In that frame, Hanna Bowers and Kylie Shottenkirk produced run-scoring singles before Katz stepped up and belted a two-run homer to right. Run No. 8 came around on Isom’s single that scored Laycee Josoff in the fourth. Eight different Bulldogs recorded at least one hit in the win.
This was clearly Concordia’s best all-around day of the 2024 season to date. Not only did Eurich fire bullets in the circle while the offense clicked, the Bulldog defense played error-free ball (44 total chances in the field). The combination of great defense and the most dominant pair of games in the same day for Eurich left Concordia feeling good about itself.
Said Culler, “Everyone of her pitches, she was locating them and spinning the ball well,” Culler said. “Her rise ball, her curve, her fastball and changeup – everyone was working the best it has ever worked. She had a lot of momentum going and our offense had a lot of momentum going. There was no reason to change anything. Megs didn’t through a lot of pitches in the first game, so I knew she was going to be fine.”
As part of four-straight days of action in Tucson, the Bulldogs will get back to the diamond on Tuesday with two more games. Next up are matchups with Graceland University (Iowa) at 9 a.m. MT / 10 a.m. CT and Madonna University (Mich.) at 11 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. CT. For more details on the spring break trip, click HERE.