By Sam Firminhac, Athletic Communications
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Baseball team's bats exploded for 38 total runs in their sweep of Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday (March 19). The Bulldogs took the first game of the doubleheader, 20-10. Following the high-scoring affair, they capped off the evening by winning the second game, 18-3. Jayden Adams stayed hot and led the Bulldogs offense with seven hits, including three home runs on the day.
With the wins, Concordia improves to 13-6-1 (2-0 GPAC) on the season. Head Coach Ryan Dupic was impressed with the offense in their first outing at Plum Creek Park of the season.
“Our offense was excellent today,” said Dupic. “The at-bats were outstanding and they stayed very consistent throughout the doubleheader. It was great to get a cushion in both of those games.”
It didn't take long for the bats to erupt, the second inning to be exact, where the Bulldogs plated 13 runs in that inning alone. In the first of the two games, Jessie Garcia led the way with four RBIs that came off of his two home runs. Adams and Ben Berg both added three RBIs apiece in the scoring barrage of game one. Alec Blackstead displayed his athleticism stealing three bags and scoring four runs. Nine different Bulldogs tallied a hit in the first game, including six players with multiple hits.
The box score was just as impressive in the second game for Concordia. Six players also had multi-hit games in the nightcap, including Adams going 5-for-5 with four RBIs and a homer. Freshman catcher Tanner Tompkins left the yard twice in game two, collecting his first two collegiate home runs. Joey Grabanski also homered in the contest.
Alex Johnson got the start for game one going two innings while allowing two hits and walking three. Dan Rivera stuck out five in 2.2 innings of work but gave up eight runs, seven of them earned. Jake Davey then came on and slammed the door on any potential comeback, striking out six of the 10 batters he faced. In game two, Bugarske collected the win after going four innings, striking out five and allowing three earned runs. Darrell Kundinger then closed out the game going three innings, striking out four and not allowing a run.
For Dupic, there are still places for the team to improve. Said Dupic, "We can improve in our pitch execution and defense. We had an inning get away from us in the first game, and there were some plays defensively we can still make. Hopefully, with time we can keep making progress."
The Bulldogs will be right back in action at Plum Creek Park on Sunday. The Hastings Broncos will be traveling to Seward for the 1 p.m. CT doubleheader. Concordia convincingly took both games of last year's doubleheader against the Broncos.