TUCSON, Ariz. – The Concordia University baseball team was just a bit off on Thursday (March 7) while in action in Tucson, Ariz. Three errors and game one and a two-run homer by Johnny Radomskiy in game two proved fatal for the Bulldogs. Concordia came away from the doubleheader with losses by scores of 6-5 and 3-1 at the hands of Presentation College (S.D.).
Those results mean that fifth-year head coach Ryan Dupic’s squad will attempt to halt a four-game skid when it returns to the diamond on Friday. The Bulldogs now stand at 4-8 overall.
“Honestly it just really wasn’t our day today,” Dupic said. “It was one of those days where they got some things going, got some big hits at big times and had some calls go against us. That certainly wasn’t the deciding factor. It was one of those things where we couldn’t find the hole at times and they did. You have to be able to move on and go to the next day.”
From an offensive standpoint, Concordia seemed to play well enough to win the opener. It outhit the Saints, 11-8, while spurred by Luciano DePamphilis’ three-hit, two-RBI performance. Meanwhile, Evan Bohman and Beau Dorman both turned in 2-for-4 efforts and Keaton Candor belted his third home run of the season. Christian Meza added a base hit and two stolen bases.
DePamphilis and company nearly came all the back from a 6-0 deficit. DePamphilis delivered a two-out, two-run single to get the Bulldogs within a run. Then with runners at first and third, Dylan Jacob struck out looking for the game's final out.
On the mound, Bulldog game one starter Sasha Jabusch got into trouble in the second inning when Presentation put three runs on the board. The key hit was a two-run double by Austin Kominek. Jabusch exited after four innings. His line included six runs allowed (three earned) on five hits and four walks. Jabusch was also hurt by an error on a potential double play grounder. In relief, Ryan Samuelson fired three scoreless frames to keep his side in the game.
The big hit eluded Concordia in game two. The Bulldogs tied the contest, 1-1, in the top of the third with the help of an error. The score remained that way until Radomskiy’s home run in the fifth. It was one of the few mistakes Jason Munsch made in a six-inning complete game. He surrendered three earned runs on four hits and three walks. Munsch fanned seven hitters.
Meza was 2-for-2 with a walk in his three plate appearances on Thursday. His career hit count stands at 169, placing him seventh on the program’s all-time hit list (the school record is 234 by Zak Goodrich).
The Bulldogs may not be all that far away from having things click. Of their eight losses, five have come by margins of one or two runs. Now they have to find a way to flip those losses in their favor.
“We made pitches today, we just had situations where we made mistakes in a big spot where they would capitalize,” Dupic said. “Presentation really executed well and we a couple mistakes defensively or a couple times we walked a leadoff guy. We weren’t able to get away with those things. Our guys did a good job fighting back though. It was just a little too late in that first game.”
Concordia will meet up with conference foe Mount Marty in Tucson on Friday. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 10 a.m. MT / 11 a.m. CT. The games will not count towards the GPAC standings. The run at the Tucson Invite will conclude with two more contests on Saturday.