SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Postponements over the weekend meant the Concordia University Baseball team went 10 days between games. The 13th-ranked Bulldogs finally opened conference play on a sun-soaked Tuesday (March 19) by splitting a doubleheader at Briar Cliff. After dropping game one by a 10-7 score, Concordia regrouped behind lefty pitcher Blake Benson and earned a 3-0 shutout victory in game two at Bishop Mueller Field in Sioux City, Iowa. Benson fired six scoreless frames.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad now stands at 17-6 overall on the season. The victory marked the 299th in Dupic’s successful tenure leading the Bulldogs.
“Our hitters were pretty good. We just didn’t pitch well the first game,” Dupic said. "That happens sometimes. We weren’t very crisp. Baseball is a game meant to be played in rhythm, but sometimes that’s hard with the weather. You have to get through it. They just beat us in game one. They played better than we did. It was two pretty good games. I’m glad we were able to bounce back and get the second one. It’s a long conference season. We’ll stay the course and keep trying to get better.”
The Springdale, Ark., native Benson has run his season record to 5-0 after his latest masterpiece. Benson traded zeroes with the Chargers’ Cade Nelson through the first three innings of game two. Benson got the one run of support he needed in the top of the fourth when Jimmy Blumberg’s walk with the bags loaded forced in a run. All Briar Cliff could muster versus Benson was a two-out walk in the first, a leadoff single in the third and a two-out single in the fifth. Concordia added two insurance runs in the seventh with the help of Jay Adams’ sacrifice fly.
Benson finished his six innings with five strikeouts while also coaxing 10 groundouts. In the bottom of the seventh, Dupic turned to closer Maverick Wylder, who worked around a pair of one-out singles to preserve the shutout and notch his fourth save of the season. Benson has now allowed only one run over his past two starts.
Said Dupic of Benson, “He was sharp. He mixed everything up really well. He was really sound with changing speeds and keeping guys off balance. He executed his stuff really well. He’s been a different guy basically since Florida. He looks really good right now. That’s the guy we felt like we were getting when he came here last year. I really believe in him. I think he’s a very good pitcher.”
Tuesday’s first contest was more of a slugfest. The day started swimmingly for the Bulldogs when Joey Grabanski crushed a two-run homer to right center in the top of the first. That swing marked career home run No. 68 for Grabanski, who now stands alone at No. 3 for career home runs among all players in the history of the NAIA. As part of Concordia’s comeback efforts in game one, Alec Blakestad also belted a two-run homer (fifth) and delivered an RBI single (seventh). Brad Hallock also knocked in a run with a sac fly in the seventh. The final out was recorded with the potential tying run in the on-deck circle.
In leading the offensive attack, Grabanski (3-for-4), Blakestad (3-for-6) and Matt Rhoades (3-for-7) each collected three hits on the day. Grabanski also walked four times while Blakestad took two free passes. Ty Nekoliczak went 2-for-4 in game two. Three Bulldogs pitched in game one: Christian Gutierrez (3.1 IP), Logan Fragomeni (1.0 IP) and Jacob Lycan (1.2 IP).
Briar Cliff (8-12, 2-2 GPAC) also split a doubleheader last week with Hastings. In Tuesday’s win, the Chargers got a 4-for-5, five-RBI performance from first baseman Jared Sitzmann. Easton Cone went deep for the team’s lone homer of the day. Logan Borboa earned the game one pitching win.
The Bulldogs are planning to make their first home appearance of the 2024 season as part of a four-game series with Northwestern (12-11, 3-1 GPAC). Due to anticipated poor weather conditions on Saturday, the two sides agreed to move the series up one day. The series at Plum Creek Park is now scheduled as follows:
· Thursday, March 21 – 5 p.m. CT DH.
· Friday, March 22 – 2 p.m. DH.