ATCHISON, Kan. – Tatum Edwards made her official debut as a head coach on Sunday (Feb. 20) as the Concordia University Softball team got the 2022 season started. The Bulldogs had their chances to come away with a doubleheader sweep, but they settled for a split at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. Concordia won the first game, 4-2, before falling in the second, 9-8, in nine innings. Camry Moore threw a complete game in the opener and then went 5-for-5 in game two.
Edwards rolled out a new-look lineup that featured familiar names in veterans Kylee Nixon and Moore at the top. This was something for the Bulldogs to build upon.
“It was just really nice to see them compete against another team and have that adrenaline and those nerves,” Edwards said. “In practice you can only try to recreate that in so many ways. We pieced together some good at-bats and scored some runs with two outs throughout the day. It was nice to see us come through with some clutch hits and pass the bat. Camry had some stolen bases too – putting on the wheels. I was pretty pleased with the performance with not having played a game in a long time.”
In a swift moving first game, Concordia got all of its runs in the third inning and Benedictine pushed its two runs across in the fourth. Nixon began the flurry in the third with a leadoff single. Five batters later, freshman shortstop Kylie Shottenkirk delivered a two-run single. Two more runs came home on the next hitter thanks to an error charged to the Raven first baseman. Shottenkirk went 3-for-3 with a stolen base in game one.
Moore opened the 2021 season with 15 strikeouts in a win at Benedictine. This time she fanned 10 hitters while scattering seven hits over seven innings. The Ravens got three of their hits in the fourth when Clare Heitz tripled and scored. Moore regrouped and held Benedictine scoreless in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings in the process of earning her 40th career win (fourth most in program history).
Game two turned into more of a slugfest. Not only did Moore go 5-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, Taylor Glause (3-for-4), Zoie Isom (2-for-5, two RBIs) and Nixon (2-for-6, two runs, double) each collected multiple hits. In addition, Shottenkirk went 1-for-2 with a run, three walks and two RBIs. Concordia was credited with 13 stolen bases for the day. A five-run outburst in the sixth gave Concordia a 7-4 lead that it was unable to protect.
After the Bulldogs failed to score in the top of the ninth, Benedictine took advantage. Lenae Salinas singled to left center to score the walk-off tally. The two sides combined for 25 hits in game two. Brooke Townsend threw seven innings in relief for the Bulldogs and allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits. Benedictine (3-1), which took two one-run games from Doane early in the week, used four different pitchers on Sunday.
Shottenkirk went 4-for-5 and reached base a total of eight times throughout the doubleheader. She is a newcomer to keep an eye on. Said Edwards, “She stayed really poised in the box. She had some at-bats where she was down in the count and was able to battle back. She showed great maturity in understanding the strike zone. She was making adjustments from at-bat-to-at-bat, which is really good to see from a freshman.”
The Bulldogs will be back in action in the state of Kansas on Monday for a 1 p.m. CT doubleheader at University of Saint Mary, which calls Leavenworth home. The Spires own a 3-3 record that includes a win over Briar Cliff. Concordia and USM met once last season with the result being a 9-0 Bulldog win in five innings.