WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It should be no surprise to those who have paid attention to the program. The Concordia University Baseball team has been proven it can hit the long ball against the very best of competition in the NAIA. While playing on the home turf of No. 25 Keiser University (Fla.) on Saturday (March 4), the 21st-ranked Bulldogs muscled up for seven more home runs while settling for a doubleheader split. The Seahawks took the first game, 7-6, before Concordia made the second contest a breeze, 16-4, in seven innings (run rule).
The three-game set in West Palm Beach, Fla., is the start of an 11-game spring break journey for Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad. The loss in game one snapped a seven-game win streak, but the Bulldogs still had plenty of positivity in the aftermath of the doubleheader.
“Our hitters were great – they swung it really well,” Dupic said. “They kind of took over game two. We jumped out on them right away. They carried us to such a big lead and we were able to get comfortable. Game one was a competitive game. We were just a few plays away there. They had a good arm on the bump that did a nice job. We got it tied up – we just weren’t quite able to get it all the way back.”
Whatever frustrations lingered, after Concordia watched Keiser celebrate a walk-off homer in game one, quickly dissipated. Jesse Garcia launched a three-run homer while just getting started. The El Cajon, Calif., native later unloaded with a two-run blast in the fifth and then a solo shot in the seventh. Garcia led the 16-hit attack with his 3-for-4, three-homer, six-RBI outburst.
The Bulldogs really broke things open in the fifth when Garcia and Jaidan Quinn (three-run homer) both left the yard. Concordia totaled eight runs on nine hits in that frame. Five Bulldogs finished with multiple hits in the victory: Ty Nekoliczak (4-for-5), Garcia (3-for-4), Quinn (2-for-2), Teyt Johnson (2-for-4) and Alec Blakestad (2-for-5). Quinn also drew two walks and was hit by a pitch.
The production provided plenty of run support for game two starting pitcher Blake Benson, who covered six innings and allowed four runs while scattering 10 hits (only one walk compared to six strikeouts). Qwin Zabokrtsky fired a scoreless seventh to sew up the game by the run rule.
In the opener at Keiser, the Bulldogs lost despite a home run apiece from Jay Adams, Joey Grabanski and Blakestad. Grabanski has already left the yard nine times this season. His two-run homer in the eighth tied the score, 6-6. In the bottom of the ninth, the Seahawks (10-9) celebrated when Edbarry Guzman sent a walk-off homer to left center. On the mound, Frankie Cresta went the first six innings for Concordia and allowed six runs on eight hits and four walks.
To this point, the Bulldogs have played seven of their 13 games against teams that were either ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll. Said Dupic, “I like the schedule we’re playing. We’re playing really good teams and challenging ourselves. We saw good arms today and good offensive players. We’re going to continue to get better and find ways to keep making progress.”
On another note, Dupic picked up his 250th career win as head coach of the Bulldogs. That total ties him with Jeremy Geidel as the winningest coach in program history.
The Bulldogs will remain in West Palm Beach for a single nine-inning game starting at 10 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. ET. The contest will wrap up the three-game series with Keiser. Concordia will shift to the RussMatt Invitational in Davenport, Fla., on Monday and Tuesday.