SEWARD, Neb. – Two of the very best pitchers in the GPAC went head-to-head on a blustery Friday (April 8) evening at Plum Creek Park. As part of the doubleheader between Concordia University Softball and Jamestown, ace pitchers Camry Moore and Kat Miska combined to allow only one earned run in a 2-1 game one victory for the Bulldogs. The visiting Jimmies responded with an 8-7 victory in game two, which Miska finished off while earning the save.
Head Coach Tatum Edwards’ squad has split each of its last four doubleheaders while seeing its record run to 18-16 overall (6-6 GPAC). This weekend marks the final home action of the 2022 regular season.
“The wind (blowing in) was a big factor,” Edwards said. “We actually hit a lot of balls hard where on another day might have been gap shots or possibly home runs. I was really happy to see that. We kept working to hit the ball hard on the ground. We knew we had to do that to put pressure on their defense to make plays. That’s what we did to walk it off (in game one). It was great to see two top pitchers compete against each other. You could kind of envision that going in of how tight it was going to be. Camry again showed why she is so good.”
The run Moore is on has been something to behold. She used the elements to her advantage on Friday and surrendered only three hits (no walks) in another seven-inning complete game effort. It actually took two extra outs (error and a passed ball on a strikeout) for Jamestown to break through with a run in the fourth inning of game one. It’s the only run Moore has allowed in 21 innings of work this week.
The Crete High School product Moore also scored the game-tying run in Friday’s opener. With Concordia still trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Moore singled to left with one out. Two batters later, she scored on Julia Van Wey’s RBI single to right. Those were two of the five hits allowed in game one by Miska, the 2021 GPAC Pitcher of the Year.
The contest appeared to be destined for extra innings. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Taylor Glause reached on an error on the pitcher. On the ensuing play, Aubrey Bruning chopped the ball to the third baseman, whose throw was wild and went up the line. The error chased Glause home all the way from first for the walk-off run.
Game two looked much different. There were a combined 26 hits. The Jimmies (17-15, 4-4 GPAC) did most of their damage in the first and fourth innings with three runs apiece in those frames. Out of the No. 2 spot in the Jamestown lineup, La La Romero went 4-for-4 with three runs and an RBI. The Bulldogs were able to make it interesting in the bottom of the seventh with Van Wey’s two-out RBI single. Miska then recorded the game’s final out via the strikeout.
Moore does it all for Concordia. She collected four hits on the day, including two doubles. In the second contest, Zoie Isom, Caitlyn McGarvie and Van Wey each posted two hits and multiple RBIs. Isom knocked in three runs in continuing a productive freshman season. The winning pitcher was Katie Merchant while the loss was tagged on Jerzi Rowe.
The final home games of the 2022 regular season will take place on Saturday as the Bulldogs get set to host Dakota Wesleyan (9-22, 1-9 GPAC) for a 1 p.m. CT doubleheader. Between games, Concordia will celebrate seniors Camry Moore and Kylee Nixon with a senior day ceremony. In action at Midland on Friday, the Tigers dropped a pair, falling by scores of 14-11 and 11-3 (six innings).