OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Concordia University Softball program made a return to Oklahoma City for the first time since being assigned to that location for the opening round of the 2015 national tournament. While up against the NAIA’s most successful softball program in history, the Bulldogs recorded one of the most significant regular season wins in program annals. Concordia dropped the first game of the doubleheader, 4-2, before responding with a 10-7 victory in game 2 on Tuesday (March 9).
The win adds legitimacy to a hot start for Head Coach Shawn Semler’s squad, which may own a national ranking of its own come Wednesday. The Bulldogs have moved to 10-2 overall.
“The reason I wanted to set this up was to get ready for the Morningsides and the Midlands,” Semler said. “We wanted to send a message that this is how good we can be and this is how good we are. I think that message resonated with our team tonight. To do this on their field really gives us confidence against anybody that we play.”
Four different Concordia hitters collected multiple hits in the game 2 win, but it was lefty pitcher Zoe Flores who emerged as the biggest story. She quieted an early slugfest after entering with one out in the bottom of the second. The native of Port LaVaca, Texas, proceeded to fire 5.2 innings of shutout ball against one of the NAIA’s most powerful offenses. The Bulldogs celebrated the win when Flores struck out pinch hitter Kelsie Dunlap to end the game.
This is quite obviously the brightest moment of the young collegiate career of Flores. She stymied a squad that averaged more than 8.5 runs per game last season.
Said Semler, “They are so fast, every one of them. Up and down their lineup, they can beat you. For her to throw all those zeroes on the board was just truly amazing … Zoe came in and made them swing at her pitches. It was like, we can’t take her out. We have to ride her.”
Oklahoma City (7-2) took a 7-4 lead to the fourth inning of game 2. Concordia evened up when Tori Homolka unloaded for a three-run blast in the top of the fourth. Then in the sixth, a series of Stars defensive miscues helped the Bulldogs push across the final three runs of the contest. The only hit of the frame was a single from Camry Moore.
The offensive standouts of game 2 included Homolka (2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs), Moore (3-for-4 with three runs), Caitlyn McGarvie (2-for-4 with an RBI) and Kylee Nixon (2-for-5 with two runs). Hhana Haro also notched a single and an RBI. The Bulldogs tagged OCU pitcher Shelby Cornelson for five runs on eight hits.
Concordia did not have the same success offensively against game 1 pitcher Christie Betker, who struck out nine and surrendered only two runs on four hits. The Bulldogs made some noise in the sixth when Moore tripled in a run and then scored on a wild pitch. Concordia failed to cut any further into what was then a 4-2 deficit.
In her first win of 2021, Flores allowed four hits and a walk while striking out three in her 5.2-inning masterpiece. In the opener, Moore (5-1) threw all six innings and scattered eight hits without a walk. She fanned two hitters and lost for the first time this season.
In the past 10 years, the Bulldogs have now defeated three top-10 nationally ranked foes (the other two were ranked No. 10). Concordia lost twice to Oklahoma City in the 2015 opening round and then dropped a game to the Stars to begin the 2016 campaign.
Oklahoma City has lost only on rare occasions under longtime head coach Phil McSpadden, who has led the program to 10 NAIA national titles. The Stars earned a 3-1 victory over 20th-ranked Morningside this past Saturday. During the most recent completed season (2019), OCU put together a record of 61-8.
The Bulldogs will remain in the state of Oklahoma for a doubleheader at Oklahoma Wesleyan University (10-4 overall prior to Tuesday action) on Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. CT from Bartlesville. Due to expected rainfall in Kansas later this week, the McPherson College tournament is likely to be adjusted. An announcement will be made if/when changes become official.