CRETE, Neb. – The 22nd-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team had its chances to take two from rival Doane on Saturday (March 22) in Crete, Neb., where the two sides settled for a doubleheader split. The Tigers won the first game, 2-1, on a walk-off sacrifice fly before the Bulldogs responded with a six-run seventh-inning rally that carried them to a 9-4 game two victory. Red hot Brad Hallock hammered three of Concordia’s five homers on the day.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad has run its overall record to 16-8 (4-2 GPAC). All four games of the weekend showdown with Doane are being staged at the Doane Ballfield Complex. The two programs are responsible for winning every GPAC baseball title since the start of the 2021 season.
“It was a pretty gritty win in the second game,” Dupic said. “Things were looking a little bleak heading into the big inning that we got. Guti (Christian Gutierrez) really battled and got us through eight. We had some really good at-bats, showed patience and Jaidan Quinn had the big swing. I thought the difference in the two games was that we were better defensively with some of the details in the second game. We got more outs when the ball was on the ground. In that game one, there were a couple plays we could have made in that last inning. The guys battled well in that second one. Hopefully we can build momentum off that.”
As Saturday afternoon wore on, the Bulldogs appeared in danger of being swept by the Tigers. Concordia trailed by a 4-1 score heading into the seventh. That’s when the fireworks ignited. Facing a wind blowing in from right field, Hallock made sure to pull the ball to left while wearing out Doane pitching. The Carrollton, Texas, native homered to lead off the seventh. Four of the next five Bulldogs then drew walks to pull within 4-3. That set the stage for All-American third baseman Jaidan Quinn to pulverize an offering from Nicolas Yard over the left field wall for a grand slam.
For good measure, Hallock belted a two-run homer in the ninth to provide a five-run cushion (9-4) and the game’s final tallies. As part of the game two win, catcher Tanner Tompkins led off the second inning with a home run. Hallock accounted for Concordia’s only run in game one when he drilled a no-doubter to left in the second. Hallock collected four hits on the day.
Said Dupic of Hallock’s impact, “He’s a big difference maker for our lineup. When he’s going good in the middle of the order, it really lengthens our lineup. When he’s going good, he’s as good as anybody. He’s got incredible power and is a really dangerous guy to pitch to. When we can get him and Matt (Rhoades) and some of those guys going at the same time, that’s what makes our lineup special. Brad was terrific today.”
The run support in game two made a winner out of workhorse right-handed pitcher Christian Gutierrez. He used 114 pitches to navigate eight innings. Gutierrez surrendered two long balls (Dane Kelsey and Justin Nevells) but effectively scattered nine hits and one walk while striking out five. Gutierrez coaxed a key 6-4-3 double play with the bags loaded to end the second. Seth Claybourne then pitched a scoreless ninth inning to put a bow on the day. Gutierrez earned the 25th win of his career, pulling him even with Jim Juergensen for third place on the program’s all-time list.
The frustration in game one comes from knowing Concordia wasted a strong start from Alex Johnson. He went all 6.2 innings, conceding just one earned run on six hits and three walks. Johnson had the tight breaking ball working as he mounted 10 strikeouts. Doane (17-4, 4-2 GPAC) walked off a winner in the bottom of the seventh when Sam Kwapnioski’s sac fly to center chased home Aaron Vulcano. On the other side of things, the Bulldogs failed to score in the third when they put the first two hitters on base and then squandered Hallock’s leadoff double in the fourth.
Concordia was outhit by Doane, 11-7, in game two. However, the Bulldogs worked 10 walks while putting heavy traffic on the bases. Ty Nekoliczak took three walks out of the leadoff spot in game two. In addition, Zackery Day swiped the 64th stolen base of his career. For Doane, Kaden Crawford threw seven masterful innings (one run allowed on five hits and two walks) in game one and picked up the win.
The series will continue on Sunday from the Doane Ballfield Complex with first pitch of the doubleheader again set for 12 p.m. CT. The field now features a turf infield. In last season’s matchups, the Bulldogs won all three meetings, including the GPAC Championship Game played in Seward.