SEWARD, Neb. – The most important series so far this year came on Tuesday afternoon (Apr. 23) against Morningside in Sioux City. Each team collected a shutout win and as Concordia took game one (5-0) and the Mustangs scraped out game two (2-0). With only two games left in the regular season, every contest is seemingly under a magnifying glass to jockey for the best seed.
The Bulldogs are .500 (22-22) on the season and are 12-8 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The head ball coach, Brock Culler, commented on pitching and a squeeze play.
“I’m proud of our team. Megan (Eurich) was spinning the ball really well, and Taryn (Ganstrom) has started to use more pitches in these last two outings. It has made a huge difference. I called timeout. We got Kylie (Shottenkirk) to come up and play the first base line on a predicted squeeze play. The pinch hitter bunted the ball up in the air and she was able to catch it - chase down the runner on the third base line. The defensive execution of this team has been great.”
Megan Eurich collected nine strikeouts in the shutout of Morningside totaling 164 this season. Giving up two hits and one walk in seven innings, the junior, out of Gretna, Neb., was virtually never in trouble of losing the one run lead which lasted until the top of the sixth.
The Mustangs had one runner make third base and with one out, Kylie Shottenkirk caught a pop-fly and ran down the base runner on the third base line for an unassisted double play. In response, the offense got going in what seemed to be another dead in the water inning. With two outs, pinch hitter Jordan Head crushed a ball just short of the right field fence scoring Jennifer Katz. The on-slot continued as Laycee Josoff hit an RBI single and Aubriana Krieser hit a two-RBI double to go up five.
The Bulldogs were one hit away in game two after a pitchers’ duel through six innings. Through an impressive outing by Taryn Ganstrom, Concordia was down 2-0 in the 7th. Shottenkirk singled to get the inning started and Tayor Glause moved the runner over with a single of her own. With two cracks at the ball, the visitors fell shy with a fly out and ground ball to the pitcher.
Shottenkirk, named the NAIA National Player of the Week, commented on the award. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my teammates. I was struggling early on, but my teammates kept telling me they had confidence in me. It’s all because of them.”
Shottenkirk finished 2-for-4 with three walks and an RBI. Glause, was the only Bulldog with a three-hit (3-for-6) day as she added a stolen base. Madison Cushing went 2-for-4 (RBI) combined plus in game one the other offensive leaders were Julia Van Wey (2-for-3, 2 R, BB), Krieser (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Josoff (1-2, R, RBI, 2 SAC) and Katz (1-for-2, R, BB).
Morningside stays even with Concordia in the conference standings (12-8) and is 18-23 overall. Paige Schuster went 2-for-3 and pitcher Morgan Secora hit a solo homer in the second game. Secora gathered the game-two win on seven innings pitched, four hits, and two strikeouts.
Concordia (22-22, 12-8 GPAC) will go back to Plum Creek Park for their final series versus Dordt (25-20, 12-6 GPAC) before entering the GPAC championships. The Bulldogs will throw first pitch at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday. With a three-way tie for fourth, Concordia will look to be its best against the Defenders.