FREMONT, Neb. – Newly minted with a national ranking, the Concordia University Baseball team continues to look the part of a top 25 outfit. In the opening to GPAC play, the 24th-ranked Bulldogs pummeled host Midland by scores of 13-2 and 9-0 as part of a doubleheader that took place at Moller Field in Fremont, Neb., on Saturday (March 20). Concordia outhit the Warriors, 27-11, for the day.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has pushed the win streak to 10 while moving to 15-2 overall. The Bulldogs never faced a deficit on Saturday.
“I was pleased with our bats today,” Dupic said. “The wind was blowing in really strong so it was a tough day to hit for both teams. I thought our guys had good at bats and were able to string together runs well. We weren’t at our very best collectively with pitch execution and making plays defensively, but our guys battled well and made a few big pitches at the right times.”
Concordia set the tone for the day by scoring six runs in the top of the first of game 1. As part of the outburst, Jayden Adams (RBI single), Teyt Johnson (two-run single) and Alec Blakestad (two-run triple) each collected run-scoring hits. Adams also homered as part of his 3-for-5 (two runs, RBI) performance in the opener. Joey Grabanski belted a home run of his own. The Bulldogs tacked onto the lead by scoring at least one run apiece in the fourth through seventh innings.
Jake Fosgett worked four innings without allowing an earned run (two unearned runs) in game 1. He struck out six and did not issue a free pass before handing the ball off to Jacob Lycan. He tossed the final three innings while shutting down the Warrior bats.
Concordia jumped out to another big lead in game 2 when it struck for five runs in the third. The big blow was delivered by Jakob Faulk, who connected on a three-run blast. An inning later, Grabanski and Ben Berg produced an RBI single apiece in a three-run fourth.
That run support was plentiful for the pitching trio of Trent Wood (4 IP), Zach Pinkerton (4 IP) and Nolan Johnson (1 IP). They combined on a five-hit shutout. Wood and Pinkerton both recorded five strikeouts.
Six different Bulldogs collected three or more hits for the day: Beau Dorman (4-for-6), Johnson (4-for-8), Adams (4-for-10), Ben Berg (3-for-7), Faulk (3-for-8) and Grabanski (3-for-10). Concordia totaled three doubles, a triple and three home runs in another strong offensive showing.
At long last, the Bulldogs will be at Plum Creek Park for their first home games since May 2019. First pitch on Sunday is set for 1 p.m. CT when Concordia and Midland (10-11, 0-2 GPAC) will go head-to-head again. Fan attendance will not be restricted at Plum Creek Park, but fans are asked to wear face coverings when social distancing cannot be maintained.