Concordia sweeps Dakota Wesleyan to run winning streak to four

Concordia University picked up 3-0 and 5-3 GPAC softball wins over Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday in Mitchell, S.D.  With the wins, Concordia moved to 18-8 overall and 7-1 in GPAC play on the season. 

Elizabeth Young (Grand Prairie, Texas) was the story for the Bulldogs in game one.  The freshman allowed just one hit in the contest.  She didn’t walk anyone and totaled five strikeouts to improve to 5-2 on the year.  Young now has five complete games and two shutouts this season. 

The Bulldogs totaled six hits in the win.  Concordia took a 1-0 lead in the third inning.  Nicole Baker (Arvada, Colo.) tripled to lead off the inning.  A sacrifice by Clarissa Eloge (Rising City, Neb.) drove Baker in for the first run of the game. 

Concordia tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning.  Eloge had an RBI double, and Nicole Mapes (Greeley, Colo.) added a sacrifice fly in the inning for the Bulldogs. 

Megan Courto had the only hit for Dakota Wesleyan in game one.  Kelsey Timmo suffered the loss on the mound.  She allowed the three runs on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts. 

In game two, Concordia took advantage of four DWU errors and used timely hitting to secure the 5-3 win. 

The Bulldogs grabbed a 3-0 lead in the fourth.  Amanda Beeson (Waverly, Neb.) reached on an error, and Natalie Svoboda (Lincoln, Neb.) walked.  Alyssa Bauwens (Perryville, Mo.) followed with a 3-run homer to put Concordia on top. 

Dakota Wesleyan scored single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to cut the Concordia lead to one at 3-2.  Veronica Nek had a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Timmo delivered an RBI double for DWU in the sixth. 

Concordia answered with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh.  Angela Harstad (Lewiston, Minn.) reached on an error to lead off the inning.  Eloge drove her in with an RBI double.  Mapes drove in Eloge later in the inning with an RBI single. 

DWU scored a single run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Bulldogs held on for the 5-3 victory. 

The Bulldogs totaled seven hits in game two.  Eloge was 3-for-4 with a run scored, and Bauwens was 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI’s.  Nicole Sempek (Columbus, Neb.) improved to 10-2 with the win on the mound.  She allowed three runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts in her 10th complete game of the season.

Concordia hosts Nebraska Wesleyan on April 6.  First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Plum Creek Park.