LINCOLN, Neb. – Strong pitching performances from grad student Alex Johnson and freshman Devin Gonor headlined the opening day of conference play for the 18th-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Baseball team. On a cool afternoon at Sandhills Global Youth Complex in Lincoln, Neb., the Bulldogs split the GPAC doubleheader with Mount Marty, winning by a 6-2 score before their rally came up a run short in a 3-2 loss in game two. Johnson fanned 11 hitters in his complete game effort.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad stands at 13-9 overall (1-1 GPAC) while fresh off its return from Florida. The Bulldogs and Lancers are in the midst of a four-game weekend series.
“I thought we pitched pretty well,” Dupic said. “We defended well minus a play or two here or there. One run got away from us in the second game that we need to be a little bit better on. If we can continue to position ourselves to be competitive (on the mound), that will help us. We had a couple big swings in the second game – we just couldn’t string it together enough. Their guy did a good job. He mixed it up really well and kept us off balance. The zone was a little bit bigger today for both teams.”
Game two came with a degree of tension in the seventh when Mount Marty managed to bring the potential tying run to the plate with one out. After hitting a batter with the bases loaded, Johnson struck out both Corbett Freeman and Tyler Vance to put out the fire. The reigning GPAC Pitcher of the Year threw more than 100 pitches in what amounted to his longest out of the season to date. The hard-throwing righty allowed only one earned run on three hits and four walks.
Dupic brought the Olathe, Kan., native along slowly to begin the season, but he’s full-go now that conference play has arrived.
Said Johnson, “That was awesome (to complete the game). Setting up the bullpen for the next two days was important. Fastball location and being able to throw the curveball for strikes and also for swing-and-miss was really big today … It feels good. It’s nice to have a full week to recover and I’ll be ready for my next start.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs got the hits when they needed them in game one. The scoring began in the first when Luke Wilson tripled in a run and Jake Watson followed with an RBI single. Insurance later came when Cade Vanis delivered a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the fourth, Jimmy Blumberg singled home a run in the fifth, Andrew Fetty doubled another home in the sixth and Watson came through with another run-scoring base hit in the sixth. Blumberg and Watson notched two hits apiece. Zackery Day stole three bases (pushing his career total to 98).
However, hits with runners in scoring position were hard to come by in game two. Mount Marty lefty pitcher Cade Sudbeck threw five shutout innings before giving way to the bullpen. The only scoring for Concordia came via the long ball. Wilson produced a solo homer in the sixth and Watson lifted a solo shot of his own to left in the eighth. The Lancers’ Aspen Dahl protected the one-run advantage with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth. Wilson (2-for-4) recorded two of the Bulldogs’ five hits in game two.
The West Hills, Calif., native Gonor did his part on the mound. He covered eight innings with three runs allowed on seven hits and two walks (six strikeouts) in game two. The only reliever used by Concordia on the day, Alex Griess retired the side in order in the top of the ninth. The pitching staff benefited from a Bulldog defense that committed only one error on the day (which was a throwing error by Johnson on a pickoff).
The extended outings from Johnson and Gonor were just what Concordia needed as it continues to await the return of several key pitchers. On a statistical note, Johnson moved his career strikeout total to 247, tying him with Jake Fosgett for third most in program history.
Said Dupic of Johnson and Gonor’s efforts, “We need it. We’re hurt right now. I like our depth, but we don’t have some of our top guys available. Three of probably our top five or six pitchers are not available right now. We’re going to need some starters to take on that load, and we’ll have to piece some other stuff together, especially on day two. It’s big to get really good starts like that.”
The Bulldogs are set to appear at Plum Creek Park for the first time this season. Saturday’s doubleheader with Mount Marty in Seward will get underway at 1 p.m. CT. The games will be streamed live via the GPAC Network.