SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – Dissatisfied with splits in its two most recent doubleheaders, the Concordia University Softball team made sure to get two on Saturday (May 1). The Bulldogs rode the pitching arm of Camry Moore and the continued hot hitting of Hhana Haro to wins by scores of 5-2 and 7-6 at Dordt. Haro and Moore collected four hits apiece on the day in Sioux Center, Iowa.
Head Coach Shawn Semler’s squad fell out of the running for a top two seed in the GPAC, but the Bulldogs (27-9, 13-7 GPAC) believe they can be a dangerous postseason team if they play up to their potential at the right time.
“We made a few changes (to the lineup) against College of Saint Mary and it kind of threw them off a little,” Semler said. “But we had become a little stagnant and felt like we needed a little push and wanted to do it before postseason. I think today’s lineup just looked a lot better and they understood why we made some moves. We hit the ball hard today, sometimes right at people. It was nice to see a lot of hits back-to-back against really good pitching.”
Other than a brief deficit in game 2, the Bulldogs played in the lead for the majority of the day. Haro set the tone by drilling a home run (15th career) as the first hitter of game 1. Haro also singled in a run as part of a two-run fourth inning. Moore helped her own cause with an RBI double in the third. Allysia Thayer brought home an insurance run with an RBI single in the fifth.
Five runs is typically enough to get the job done with Moore in the circle. The Crete High School alum fired a seven-inning complete game in the opener. She surrendered two unearned runs on three hits and no walks (three strikeouts). Moore moved to 16-4 and lowered her season ERA to 1.74 by the end of the day.
Moore wasn’t done yet. She helped spark a four-run outburst in the third inning of game 2 with a two-run single. Concordia’s final three runs of the day came in the fifth when Regan Karel cracked an RBI double and Brena Brown tacked on with a two-run base hit.
After Jerzi Rowe and Zoe Flores combined to pitch the first five-plus innings of game 2, Moore put out a fire in the sixth. Semler called upon Moore in the circle with runners at second and third, no outs and the Bulldogs hanging onto a 7-5 lead. She wiggled out of the jam and wound up earning her third save of the season.
Nine Concordia players notched at least one hit on the day. In addition to the four hits each for Haro and Moore, three Bulldogs picked up three hits: Jenessa Jarvis (3-for-5, two runs, RBI), Caitlyn McGarvie (3-for-6, two runs) and Van Wey (3-for-7, run).
As things stand, Concordia could finish as high as a tie for third in the final GPAC standings. If the Bulldogs can win twice on Sunday, they would accomplish that aim and would slot into the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament.
Said Semler, “There was a lot riding on our games today for both teams. We needed to sweep to keep our thoughts of getting the third seed and felt like we needed to know we can play two good games in a row. We will use tomorrow to work on a couple of things and then see what the matchup will be in the GPAC tournament.”
The 2021 regular season will come to a conclusion on Sunday with a doubleheader at Dakota Wesleyan (10-26, 2-18 GPAC). First pitch from Cadwell Park in Mitchell, S.D., is set for 1 p.m. CT.