MITCHELL, S.D. – A pair of run-rule affairs made for a snappy doubleheader in Mitchell, S.D., on Sunday (May 2). The Concordia University Softball team wrapped up the regular season by twice blanking host Dakota Wesleyan, 8-0, in six innings and, 9-0, in five innings. Camry Moore and Jerzi Rowe both threw shutouts while helping the Bulldogs build momentum heading into the postseason.
Head Coach Shawn Semler’s squad also took two from Dordt on Saturday. At the close of the regular season, Concordia stands at 29-9 overall and at 15-7 in the GPAC (tied for third with Jamestown).
At the top of the Bulldog lineup, former GPAC Player of the Year Hhana Haro is smoldering. Said Semler, “I can’t remember the specific game, but I remember Hhana squaring up a ball and hitting a hard line drive and smiling because we had the true Hhana back. Since then she has been a force at the plate. This weekend she really jump started our offense each day. We got outstanding pitching from Camry and Jerzi.”
While scoring a boatload of early runs in both contests, Concordia never gave the Tigers (10-28, 2-20 GPAC) much hope. The Bulldogs put up seven runs over the first two frames of game 1 and then busted out for five runs in the first inning of game 2. Haro continues to be the catalyst in her new role at the leadoff spot. On the day, the third baseman from Garden Grove, Calif., went 5-for-7 with four runs, a double and a triple.
It was also a dominant weekend for Moore (17-4) in the circle. She fired nine innings without allowing an earned run in Saturday’s doubleheader. She then whirled a six-inning, three-hit shutout that included seven strikeouts on Sunday. Moore put an exclamation mark on the day by blasting a three-run homer in the fourth inning of game 2.
Jarvis (2-for-3, with two runs, a double and two RBIs) and Julia Van Wey (2-for-3 with a run) also added two hits apiece in game 1. In that contest, Moore, Jarvis and Kylee Nixon each collected a run-scoring double. Shelby Ziegler took advantage of a pinch hit opportunity and plated a run with a single. Caitlyn McGarvie added an RBI double of her own in the first inning of game 2. Tori Homolka tripled and scored a run in the third inning of the capper.
Rowe followed up Moore’s shutout with a five-inning blanking of DWU. The freshman from Gretna, Neb., surrendered only two hits and two walks while striking out three. Collectively, Moore and Rowe allowed just five hits (all of them singles) all day. The Tigers also hurt themselves with a combined five errors.
Haro has extended her hitting streak to nine games. During that stretch she has gone 18-for-33 (.545) with seven runs, four doubles, a triple, a home run, nine RBIs and an .818 slugging percentage. She needs five more hits for 200 in her impressive collegiate career.
The Bulldogs will be the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and will take part in the Morningside Bracket pod at Jensen Softball Complex in Sioux City, Iowa. The GPAC softball postseason will get started on May 5 with the double elimination format. Concordia will go head-to-head with Doane (25-22, 12-10 GPAC) at 10 a.m. CT on May 5. As the top two seeds, Midland and Morningside earned the right to host separate pods. View the tournament bracket HERE.
Said Semler, “I think we got our confidence back and this is the time we want to peak. I feel like we are starting to play really well. It should be a fun pool.”