SEWARD, Neb. – Coming off two lopsided wins over the same opponent on Friday, the Concordia University Baseball team did not take Dordt lightly on a pleasant Saturday (April 8) afternoon at Plum Creek Park. In completing the four-game sweep of the Defenders, the Bulldogs won going away, 18-1 and 13-3. In Saturday’s action, three Concordia hitters collected five hits apiece while center fielder Alec Blakestad produced two of the team’s six homers.
Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad needed the sweep in order to keep pace with the other three top teams in the GPAC. Halfway through the league schedule, the Bulldogs stand at 11-3 in the GPAC (25-11 overall).
“It was a discussion point going into the week that we really needed to stay consistent throughout the weekend,” Dupic said. “The pitcher they had going game one today created its own challenge. He’s a good pitcher. I think, in a way, that kind of helped us stay focused knowing we were going to face a really good arm. The guy game two did a good job too and was competitive out there. We had to be ready to go and the guys answered the bell really well.”
Concordia continues to play MLB The Show with the sliders on rookie mode. It’s about the only way to explain the team’s eye-popping production. Dordt starter Nick Yeager did manage to hold the Bulldogs scoreless in the first inning of Saturday’s opener, but the floodgates eventually opened. The second inning featured a Tanner Tompkins RBI single, a Ty Nekoliczak two-run single and a Jay Adams RBI double. Concordia was off and running. Blakestad homered in the fifth and then again as part of an 11-run merry-go-round in the sixth.
The run total reached ‘only’ 13 runs in the series finale, which saw the Bulldogs score at least once in every inning. Dordt (14-18, 2-12 GPAC) tried to give Concordia a dose of its own medicine when Dylan Stanley and Anthony Rodriguez homered in the fourth. The Bulldogs countered with a long ball apiece from Jaidan Quinn (two-run shot in the first), Jesse Garcia (solo homer in the third) and Adams (solo blast in the seventh). Ultimately, the game ended by the 10-run rule in the eighth when Adams’ bases-loaded walk forced in a run.
When Concordia can combine that offensive explosiveness with quality starting pitching, it’s going to be a bear to beat. The Bulldogs got fine outings on Saturday from the likes of Caden Johnson and Blake Benson. Johnson went six innings and allowed one run on five hits and a walk while striking out seven. Benson got the ball in the series finale and logged 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk to go along with eight strikeouts. Daniel Rivera, Jacob Lycan and Patrick Zeller each saw action out of the bullpen.
Adams, Blakestad and Garcia each finished the day with five hits while Berg and Nekoliczak posted four hits apiece. A fifth-year member of the program, Berg has been particularly hot over the past couple of weeks. Said Berg, “It’s been really fun. Obviously we returned a ton of hitters from last year. We lost Keaton Candor, but Teyt Johnson filled that spot in right field. We’ve just had a really good approach and been really disciplined. We focus every day on coming back to the same thing and having the same approach. We don’t worry about who’s on the mound or what team we’re playing. We’re just grinding out at bats.”
Also noteworthy, Zackery Day stole three bases on the day and broke the school record for steals in a single season with 25. In game two, Joey Grabanski doubled for his 200th career hit. He’s the third player on the current roster to reach 200 hits for a career.
Saturday G1 offensive highlights:
· Alec Blakestad: 3-for-5, thee runs, two home runs, five RBIs
· Ben Berg: 3-for-4, run, home run, two RBIs
· Ty Nekoliczak: 3-for-3, two runs, walk, two RBIs
· Jay Adams: 2-for-4, run, walk, double, two RBIs
· Jesse Garcia: 2-for-3, run, walk, double
· Tanner Tompkins: 2-for-5, two runs, RBI
Saturday G2 offensive highlights:
· Jay Adams: 3-for-4, two runs, two walks, two doubles, home run, three RBIs
· Jesse Garcia: 3-for-5, two runs, home run, three RBIs
· Alec Blakestad: 2-for-3, two runs, two walks, RBI
· Jaidan Quinn: 1-for-4, two runs, walk, home run, two RBIs
The Bulldogs will be back to action on Tuesday with a makeup doubleheader at Dakota Wesleyan (4-21, 1-13 GPAC). First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. CT from Cadwell Park in Mitchell, S.D. In last season’s matchup in Seward, Concordia swept the doubleheader from the Tigers, winning by scores of 20-10 and 18-3.
Summary of records/milestones achieved this weekend:
Jesse Garcia
–Career program records for …
· Hits (242)
· Doubles (55)
· RBIs (194)
· Walks (109)
Joey Grabanski
· 200th career hit
· School record for home runs runs in a single season (20)
Zackery Day
· School record for stolen bases in a single season (25)