SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Other than a rough first inning of game one, Concordia University Baseball put together a solid day in a doubleheader split at Briar Cliff on Thursday (April 28). The Bulldog rally from four runs down in game one came up short in a 5-4 loss before Concordia rebounded with an 8-3 victory in game two. Four Bulldogs left the premises at Bishop Mueller Field with a home run apiece: Alec Blakestad and Joey Grabanksi in game one and Jesse Garcia and Tanner Tompkins in game two.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad needs one more victory to sew up the No. 2 seed for next week’s GPAC tournament. Concordia moved its season record to 30-13-1 (19-7 GPAC), marking the fourth time the program has reached the 30-win mark under Dupic.
“We’re still finding ourselves in certain aspects, but our guys have done a pretty good job,” Dupic said. “I think they really enjoy being around each other, so I’m very grateful for that. Hopefully we can keep that ride going as we continue the back stretch of the season …there were a couple situations where a hit here or there would have gotten that thing tied (in game one), but we couldn’t come all the way back. The second game we jumped on top and Caden Johnson threw the ball well for us. Pretty good job all in all.”
In that first contest, the Chargers (26-18, 14-12 GPAC) got four of their five runs in the first inning off Bulldog ace Alex Johnson. Briar Cliff then went scoreless over the next three frames as Johnson settled in and Nathan Buckallew (1.2 scoreless innings in relief) gave Concordia a chance to rally.
All of the Concordia run scoring in game one came via the long ball. Blakestad delivered a two-run shot in the fourth and Grabanski supplied a two-run blast of his own in the seventh. Blakestad collected three of the team’s seven hits in game one. Briar Cliff starter Brett Sitzman picked up the win while striking out eight in five innings of work.
The offensive attack was more consistent in game two for the Bulldogs, who immediately raced out to a 3-0 advantage thanks to one swing of the bat from Garcia. The native of El Cajon, Calif., mashed a three-run shot (35th career homer) in the top of the first. Then in the third, Grabanski singled home a run and Ben Berg doubled in two more. Concordia’s commanding lead grew to 8-0 with Tompkins’ two run homer in the fifth. The Chargers finally got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the seventh.
On the mound, Caden Johnson fired six shutout innings while allowing four hits and three walks. The Papillion, Neb., native also recorded three strikeouts in the process of pushing his record to 6-1 and lowering his season ERA to 2.98. Alex Johnson is also 6-1 after enduring his first defeat of 2022.
Five Bulldogs rapped out multiple hits in the victory: Berg (3-for-4), Garcia (2-for-3), Jay Adams (2-for-4), Jaidan Quinn (2-for-4) and Grabanski (2-for-4). Berg, Garcia and Tompkins combined to drive in seven of the eight runs.
Concordia and Briar Cliff will be back at Bishop Mueller Field on Friday to complete the four-game series. First pitch is slated for 10 a.m. CT. The game time was moved up in hopes of getting the two contests played before potential inclement weather arrives in Sioux City. It will be the final day of the regular season for the Bulldogs.