SEWARD, Neb. – Thanks to the right arm of Braxton Greenburg, the 19th-ranked Concordia University Baseball team emerged victorious, minus the drama that filled Thursday’s 10-9, 11-inning walk-off triumph over Mount Marty. The top-seeded Bulldogs effectively defended their home field again on Friday (May 3) while grinding out an 8-3 win over No. 5 seed Midland. Matt Rhoades homered early as part of a big day and Brad Hallock and Jose Cevallos came through with run-scoring doubles to provide late-inning breathing room.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has moved into the driver’s seat with a 2-0 start in the Concordia Bracket portion of the 2024 GPAC tournament. The Bulldogs (39-12) are seeking the program’s third GPAC tournament championship.
“It was a grind-it-out game,” Dupic said. “Their guy threw the ball really well and Braxton threw the ball really well. It was one of those games where both teams had some opportunities, but the pitchers pitched their way out of it and kept it really close to the end. I was proud of our pitching, proud of our defense – both did a nice job. Our offense did a nice job staying with it. They got some big hits for us late.”
The Plymouth, Minn., native Greenburg piggybacked off the nine scoreless innings turned in by Concordia relief pitchers in Thursday’s walk-off winner. Greenburg worked into the seventh (6.2 innings) on Friday and limited the Warriors to two runs on five hits and two walks while fanning six hitters. A key play occurred in the bottom of the fourth when Rhoades snared a hot smash at first and stepped on the bag for a double play. The twin killing kept the Bulldog lead at 2-0 at the time.
Rhoades went 3-for-4 with a second-inning solo homer that represented the game’s first run. Concordia rapped out 13 hits, but it struggled at times to string them in succession. It was a tight 4-2 score all the way into the ninth inning before the Bulldogs pulled away from Midland. That frame featured a clutch two-run double by Hallock and a pinch-hit RBI double by Cevallos. A couple of innings earlier, Joey Grabanski drove a fly to left over the wall for his 85th career homer (23rd this season).
Warrior right-hander Zachary Vincent produced a quality start in holding Concordia to three runs and seven hits in six innings. The Bulldogs had their most success against Xavior Salazar, who surrendered five runs in 2.1 innings. Christopher Ortega belted a too-little-too-late pinch-hit homer in the ninth for Midland (31-18). Hadyn Crawford went 0-for-4 a day after victimizing Briar Cliff with three long balls.
While Rhoades posted three hits, Jaidan Quinn went 2-for-4 with a run. The homer for Grabanski marked his 299th career hit as he chases another milestone achievement. Out of the bullpen, Jacob Lycan recorded the game’s final seven outs and picked up his second save of the season. Through two GPAC tournament games, Concordia relievers have conceded just a single run in 11.1 innings of work.
Eventually, the Bulldog lineup is typically going to break through. Said Dupic, “It felt like the offense couldn’t quite get the big hit and we score eight runs. We’re a little bit spoiled sometimes. Matt and Brad have been so huge for us (as new additions in 2024). Our top four hitters are tremendous players and have had really good careers, but you need lineup depth. You need guys who extend it and make it tough to pitch up and down the order. Matt and Brad have done that for us all year. When they’re going good, we’re really good because it lengthens our lineup so much.”
Added Rhoades, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, “They push me to be better. Like Joey and Q, I see them succeed and it makes me want to succeed, try to chase them and do what I can to improve the team and help the team win games.”
In the finals of the Concordia Bracket, the Bulldogs will take on Midland at Plum Creek Park with first pitch at 4 p.m. CT. The Warriors (32-18) will need to defeat Concordia twice in order to advance to the GPAC Championship game, which will be played on Tuesday, May 7.
2024 GPAC Tournament – Concordia Bracket
--Full Bracket
May 2-4 | Plum Creek Park (Seward, Neb.)
--Live Webcasts
--Live Stats
Thursday, May 2
Game 1 – (5) Midland def. (4) Briar Cliff, 12-10
Game 2 – (1) Concordia def. (8) Mount Marty, 10-9 (11 inn.)
Friday, May 3
Game 3 – (1) Concordia def. (5) Midland, 8-3
Game 4 – (8) Mount Marty def. (4) Briar Cliff, 9-8
Game 5 – (5) Midland def. (8) Mount Marty, 10-4
Saturday, May 4
Game 6 – (1) Concordia vs. (5) Midland, 5 p.m.
Game 7 – Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 8 p.m. (if necessary)