Offensive outburst leads to run-rule wins over York, Hannibal LaGrange

By Jacob Knabel on Mar. 4, 2023 in Softball

WICHITA, Kan. – Eleven different Bulldogs recorded at least one hit on Saturday (March 4) as the Concordia University Softball team broke loose with a combined 24 runs on 27 hits. That production paved the way for two run rule victories in five innings – 15-2 over York University and 9-1 over Hannibal LaGrange University (Mo.). Both games were part of the Friends University Invite that played out over two days in Wichita, Kan.

Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad went 3-1 in Wichita, winning the final three games of the trip (all by the run rule). The Bulldogs evened up their overall record at 6-6.

“We had two things we wanted to focus on going into this weekend – first we wanted to really get some good, quality at bats,” Culler said. “We wanted to be disciplined at the plate, know what pitches we want to hit and don’t swing at anything until we get those pitches. Our team did a great job of doing that and adjusting during the games. It was a great performance offensively by our team. The other thing was our errors. We played both games today without an error and then you add the 12-to-14 hits a game. They did a great job of focusing and attaching themselves to the goals we had. We had a lot of fun.”

The likes of Hanna Bowers and Kylie Shottenkirk kept red hot while Caitlyn McGarvie moved past 100 hits in her Concordia Softball career. The matchup with York got out of hand in the fifth when the Bulldogs paraded around the bases with 11 runs on eight hits and five walks. McGarvie stepped up and belted a grand slam (first career homer) as part of that frame. Bowers (first inning) and Shottenkirk (second inning) also delivered a solo blast apiece. Shottenkirk went 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs against the Panthers.

In the second game, the Bulldogs took command with three runs in the first, two in the second and four in the fourth. McGarvie contributed a two-run double in the second after Zoie Isom and Delanie Voshell had both batted in runs with base hits in the first. Bowers and Voshell stung the opposition with three hits apiece in the second game. It was a day when everyone chipped in. Also notable, freshman Jessie Bestenlehner picked up her first career hit and Montgomery Berner drove in three runs in the first game.

Said Culler, “We had a lot to celebrate. Our team had a lot of fun this weekend. Every time we get together, we’re getting better. We’re playing looser and being aggressive. We played with a lot of energy and it just all clicked today. This is the Bulldog team that I had in my mind.”

In the pitching circle, Jerzi Rowe threw a five-inning complete game in the opener and Megan Eurich did the same in the capper. Rowe did not walk a single batter while allowing two runs on six hits (three strikeouts). Eurich then moved her season record to 4-0. She surrendered one run on six hits while piling up eight strikeouts.

There were four Concordia hitters with four or more hits on the day: Voshell (5-for-6), Shottenkirk (5-for-7), Bowers (4-for-7) and McGarvie (4-for-8). As Culler noted, the Bulldogs did not commit a single error on the day.

The next time the Bulldogs step foot on a diamond, they will be in Tucson, Ariz., for the Tucson Invitational. The event gets started for Concordia on Tuesday, March 7 with matchups that day versus NCAA Division III Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (N.Y.) and Park University-Gilbert (Ariz.). The Bulldogs are slated to play nine games in Tucson from March 7-10.