Concordia drops two at home to Nebraska Wesleyan
Nebraska Wesleyan earned a key GPAC softball sweep over Concordia University on Wednesday evening in Seward. Scores of the games were 8-1 and 9-0. NWU improved to 19-3 overall and 7-3 in the GPAC. Concordia dropped to 18-10 overall and 7-3 in the GPAC.
The visiting Prairie Wolves had little trouble with Bulldog pitching, and the Concordia offense struggled to get anything going. NWU totaled 23 hits on the night, while Concordia managed just six hits in game one and one hit in game two.
Clarissa Eloge (Rising City, Neb.) got the Bulldogs off to a nice start in game one. The senior connected on a solo homer in the bottom of the first to put Concordia on top.
The lead didn’t last long, as Nebraska Wesleyan took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on a 2-run single by Lauren Bodfield. The Prairie Wolves tacked on three more runs in the fourth. Megan Beckstead had a 2-run single, and Dani Bryant added an RBI single in the inning as NWU grabbed a 5-1 lead.
The Prairie Wolves scored three more insurance runs in the fifth. Jessica Weingarten scored on a wild pitch, and Beckstead delivered her second 2-run single of the game for the final of 8-1.
Brenna Maguire was in total control on the mound for NWU. She improved to 8-1 on the season and allowed just the one run on six hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. Beckstead was 2-for-4 with a run scored and four RBI’s for NWU offensively.
Elizabeth Young (Grand Prairie, Texas) suffered the loss for Concordia and dropped to 5-3 on the year. Young struck out five batters in the first two innings. However, the freshman allowed the eight runs on 10 hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in five innings of work. Eloge and Nicole Mapes (Greeley, Colo.) each had two hits for Concordia offensively in game one.
In game two, Wesleyan took a lead in the third inning and pulled away late for the 9-0 win in six innings. The Prairie Wolves pounded 13 hits in the contest and got a strong start from Alysia Wittmaack on the mound.
The Prairie Wolves took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Bryant singled with two outs in the inning. Beckstead followed with an RBI triple, and Marcia Kennedy added an RBI single to score Beckstead.
NWU scored two more runs in the fifth, and the Prairie Wolves did their damage with two outs in the inning. Beckstead and Kennedy each had RBI singles in the inning.
The game got away from Concordia in the top of the sixth, as Nebraska Wesleyan plated five runs on five hits and one Bulldog error. Beckstead and Kennedy continued to pound the ball and each delivered 2-run doubles in the NWU sixth.
Nebraska Wesleyan pitcher Alysia Wittmaack totally shut down the Concordia offense in game two. She flirted with a perfect game and didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning. Concordia’s Natalie Svoboda (Lincoln, Neb.) hit a one-hop line drive that the NWU shortstop was unable to come up with. Wittmaack allowed just that one hit with no walks and six strikeouts to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Nicole Sempek (Columbus, Neb.) took the loss on the mound for Concordia. Sempek (10-3) allowed the nine runs and 13 hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
Concordia returns to action on April 12 with two games at Hastings College. First pitch is scheduled for 5 pm in Hastings.