TUCSON, Ariz. – Two very different games played out on Wednesday (March 8) as the Concordia University Softball team entered into its second day at the Tucson Invitational. The Bulldogs routed Dickinson State University (N.D.), 13-5, behind four hits from Caitlyn McGarvie before having their bats quieted in a 4-0 loss to Siena Heights University (Mich.). One highlight of the victory over Dickinson State was the first career pitching victory for freshman Jessie Bestenlehner.
Head Coach Brock Culler’s squad sits at 8-8 overall and is 2-2 in Tucson with five games remaining at the invite. A lack of clutch hits kept Concordia from claiming two wins on Wednesday.
“The second game, I thought we played hard – and Brooke (Townsend) threw really well,” Culler said. “We left 11 runners on base. That was the biggest issue. It was really odd because we’ve been hitting the ball so well. We just needed to find two more hits and we would have won that game … The first game, Jessie got her first win and threw well. We had a lot of good at bats.”
The heart of the lineup keeps hitting the ball with authority. The Bulldogs jumped on top of Dickinson State with three runs in the first inning and added another four in the third to provide a comfortable cushion. Reigning GPAC Player of the Week Kylie Shottenkirk delivered a two-run double in the first and two-run homer in the second. A Lincoln North Star product like Shottenkirk, McGarvie put a cherry on top with a two-run blast in the seventh. She also tripled as part of her four-hit outing.
Seven Bulldogs collected multiple hits against the Blue Hawks: McGarvie (4-for-5), Julia Van Wey (3-for-4), Deleesi Bartling (2-for-4), Zoie Isom (2-for-4), Shottenkirk (2-for-4), Hanna Bowers (2-for-5) and Taylor Glause (2-for-5). Isom and Van Wey added two RBIs apiece. In the circle, Bestenlehner worked five innings and allowed only one earned run on six hits and a walk (six strikeouts). Megan Eurich then got the final six outs.
After the 18-hit performance, Concordia wouldn’t have expected to be shut out. However, the Bulldogs left 11 runners on base. Concordia stranded multiple runners on base in each of the third through fifth innings. Siena Heights pitcher Shyann Truax shut out the Bulldogs on five hits and six walks. The Saints pushed across one run apiece in the second, third, fifth and sixth innings with the help of and at times leaky Concordia defense.
Townsend covered all seven innings in the circle and allowed just two earned runs while scattering 11 hits. The Bulldogs were able to rest Eurich and Jerzi Rowe for a marathon day on the diamond coming up on Thursday.
Despite being blanked in the second game, Concordia likes how things have progressed from an offensive standpoint. Said Culler, “We tell them to know what pitch to hit, be patient and be smart hitters. When you get the pitch you want, that’s the one you want to attack. We’re driving the ball well and seeing it well. They’re good, quality smart at bats. We’re seeing a really calm approach. When we do hit it at people, we’re hitting it hard.”
It will be a grueling day on Thursday with a trio of games on the slate as the Tucson Invitational continues (all three games listed below). On paper, the Bulldogs will face their stiffest challenge yet with No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan University coming up in the morning. The day’s second opponent, University of St. Francis (Ill.), is receiving votes nationally.
· March 9 vs. No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan University, 9 a.m. MT (10 a.m. CT)
--Location: Lincoln Park – Field 8 (Tucson, Ariz.)
· March 9 vs. University of St. Francis (Ill.), 11 a.m. MT (12 p.m. CT)
--Location: Lincoln Park – Field 8 (Tucson, Ariz.)
· March 9 vs. Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.), 3:30 p.m. MT (4:30 p.m. CT)
--Location: Lincoln Park – Field 8 (Tucson, Ariz.)