ABERDEEN, S.D. – In a pair of games played inside the Presentation College Dome in Aberdeen, S.D., the Concordia University Softball team emerged with two wins over nonconference foe Mayville State University (N.D.). The Bulldogs rallied for a 3-2 win in game one before taking the second contest by the run rule in five innings, 12-2. Originally, the two sides had been scheduled to play in Seward.
Head Coach Tatum Edwards’ squad returned to action for the first time since spitting back-to-back twin bills against the likes of Benedictine College (Kan.) and University of Saint Mary (Kan.) on Feb. 20-21. Concordia is now 4-2 overall.
“In that first game we fought and made adjustments,” Edwards said. “We got a clutch hit when we really needed it. The second game, we were hitting the ball hard, making good contact and putting the ball in play. We were passing the bat.
“It’s good to have that type of high-pressure situation (in game one) and get the heart rate up. That’s what the postseason feels like. I’m glad we were able to work through that – and Jerzi (Rowe) threw and awesome game. She kept us in it the whole time and made some great pitches when we needed it.”
In game one, the Bulldogs trailed 2-0 after four innings and remained behind, 2-1, heading into the sixth. The rally in the top of the sixth started with a Camry Moore and continued with a double from Hanna Bowers and the back-to-back base hits from Taylor Glause and Lex Campos. It was a big game for the center fielder Campos, who went 3-for-3 with four stolen bases and a run. Rowe was able to make that lead hold up. She worked all seven innings of game one while allowing two runs on six hits and two walks. She recorded six strikeouts.
Game two lacked that kind of drama. Concordia racked up four runs in the first and seven in the second inning as part of the run-rule shortened affair. Moore went 3-for-4 with two runs, a double and four RBIs at the plate while also covering four innings in the circle. After surrendering a first-inning homer, Moore was spotless the rest of her outing. In addition, Kylie Shottenkirk went 3-for-4 with two runs and a double while Aubrey Bruning and Glause notched two hits apiece. Glause tripled, scored two runs and drove in three.
The Comets dropped to 1-5 on the season. The Bulldogs tagged Mayville State pitching for a combined 23 hits, including 16 in game two. First baseman Jocelyn Ontiveros hit a two-run homer in the first inning of game two before the Comets then went quiet with the bats.
The Bulldogs will be right back at the Presentation College Dome on Sunday for a 10 a.m. CT doubleheader with Mayville State. Following Sunday’s twin bill, Concordia will look forward to the Friends Invitational in Wichita, Kan., March 4-5.