TUCSON, Ariz. – The Concordia University, Nebraska Softball offense scored 20 runs in 10 innings on its way to run-ruling two opponents on Monday (March 10). Jennifer Katz (4-for-5), Hanna Bowers (4-for-6) and Taryn Ganstrom (4-for-5) led the offensive assault over Viterbo University (Wisc.), 11-3, and Mayville State University (N.D.), 9-0, on day two of the Tucson Invite. Megan Eurich pitched her second shutout of the season.
Head Coach Brock Culler and the red hot offense have moved to 4-0 at the invite and won six straight on their way to a 12-6 overall showing.
“It’s so good to see us performing the way that we are capable of,” Coach Culler said. “The way the girls are enjoying this, it's fun. For our high performers, it has been the approach to the plate, discipline, and pitch selection. This last game against Mayville, we swung at maybe one pitch out of the zone the entire game. It was incredible. Megs setup pitches are so good. She is doing a great job of getting out ahead with her set up pitches. Jordan pitched really good today. She flooded the zone and kept her composure throughout the game.”
With 20 hits and 20 runs in two five inning games, the Bulldogs have stepped it up in the batters’ box and scored in every frame versus the V-Hawks. Katz started the route with an RBI double going a perfect 3-for-3 plus added a triple later in the lashing. Bowers kept it going in the third with an RBI two bagger and Maguire hit an RBI double to keep it going early. After getting up 8-0, the Bulldogs allowed three runs but responded with three of their own via a Kylie Shottenkirk RBI triple, a Delanie Voshell RBI single and a Laycee Josoff sacrifice fly.
Pitcher Jordan Head hurled 3.2 innings in her first start and rendered Viterbo scoreless in the first three. Head, on her birthday, finished allowing three earned runs, six hits and one strikeout. Ganstrom finished the job, allowing one hit in 1.1 innings.
In game two, the Arizona heat couldn’t catch up to the Concordia offense, scorching the Comets with seven runs in the opening two innings. Ganstrom went a flawless 2-for-2 batting and added two runs and RBIs to boot. Bowers (2-for-3) and Aubrey Bruning (2-for-3) seemed to be competing in numbers with both having two hits, a triple, and a double apiece.
Megan Eurich has seemed to have found her footing once again, burning in a scoreless five innings with six strikeouts and zero walks.
Everyone wanted a piece of the pie with five players swinging at least two hits, including Katz (four), Bowers (four), Ganstrom (four), Bruning (three), Maguire (two). The Bulldogs stole eight bags in the two games and 11 of the 20 hits were extra base slugs. The Bulldogs mashed with a .778 slugging percentage and a .567 on-base percentage.
Concordia (12-6) has a day off in the Grand Canyon State before taking on Westcliff University (Calif.),7-9, and Valley City State University (N.D.), 9-8, on Wednesday. The first game is set for 11 a.m. MT and 1 p.m. CT at Lincoln Park. Valley City will be a tough test having bested Northwestern (7-4) earlier in Tucson.