FREMONT, Neb. – The momentum built up over two thrilling days in Sioux City, Iowa, withered on Saturday (May 8) as the Concordia University Softball team fell in the GPAC Championship Series at No. 25 Midland. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth of game 1 before the wheels came off in Fremont, Neb. The top-seeded Warriors swept the series, winning twice by the run rule – 9-1 in six innings and 8-0 in five innings.
Head Coach Shawn Semler’s squad knew coming into the day that it had already clinched a bid to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. Third-seeded Concordia (32-11) had hoped to sweeten the pot with a GPAC postseason title.
“Today seemed like a perfect storm to make for a rough day,” Semler said. “We ended the regular season with a lot of road trips, started postseason on the road and had some emotional wins to get to today. The wind was as relentless as Midland’s lineup. They are so tough one through nine with speed and power throughout. It makes it hard to catch your breath. Midland is a good team. I think we both will do well at the national tournament. We will be ready to get back to playing great softball.”
Ace pitcher Camry Moore finally did wear down after throwing all 21 innings in GPAC tournament wins over Doane and No. 13 Morningside (twice). Moore managed to shut out Midland (38-8) until a pair of unearned runs came across in the fifth inning of game 1. Then the floodgates opened up. The Warriors struck for seven runs on five hits in the sixth to enact the run rule. The contest ended early when Sierra Athow doubled home Midland’s eighth and ninth tallies.
Game 1 had started out favorably for the Bulldogs. Hhana Haro led off the game with a single and scored three batters later on Tori Homolka’s sacrifice fly. The 1-0 lead stood up until the fifth. From the leadoff spot, Haro just keeps on hitting. She went 3-for-5 on the day and extended her hitting streak to 14 games.
Warrior pitcher Aliyah Rincon shut Concordia out on three hits in game 2. Once again, things got away from the Bulldogs late in the ballgame. Bulldog hurler Jerzi Rowe fired scoreless second and third innings (after allowing two runs in the first) before Midland plated four runs in the fourth and two in the fifth. The Warriors finished with a combined 22 hits on the day.
The pitching duo of Rincon and Hailee Fliam limited Concordia to a grand total of one extra base hit. Bulldog catcher Allysia Thayer recorded one hit in both games and Regan Karel produced a double in game 1. In the circle, Zoe Flores and Brooke Townsend both saw action as relievers.
The Bulldogs will learn of their national tournament draw on Tuesday (May 11) via the NAIA selection show scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on that day. Concordia will be sent to one of 10 opening round sites that have been pre-determined. The program will make its first national tournament appearance (third overall) since 2015.