CRETE, Neb. – Before darkness fell upon Crete, Neb., Camry Moore starred in her hometown while helping the Concordia University Softball team to an 8-4 win at Doane on Wednesday (April 7). The host Tigers owned a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth of game 2 when it was suspended because of the lack of light at the Doane Ballfield Complex. Seward native Regan Karel also delivered a three-run homer in the opener.
Head Coach Shawn Semler’s squad returned to action for the first time since getting swept in a doubleheader by No. 16 Morningside on March 30. The Bulldogs moved to 18-5 overall (4-3 GPAC).
“We had lost our last three games so I was anxious to see how we would play,” Semler said. “We usually play really well when Camry is in the circle so I felt good about that. We weren’t hitting early and then Karel hits a three-run homer into the teeth of the wind. That was big time. Both teams hit some balls that were held up by the wind.”
Moore (11-2) fired all seven innings of game 1 and recorded 10 strikeouts. One of her few mistakes was a pitch that Megan Elliott parked over the fence for a three-run homer, tying the score, 3-3, in the bottom of the fourth. Moore finished strong with scoreless sixth and seventh frames.
The Concordia offense quickly responded with a five-run fifth. The scoring occurred on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch to Caitlyn McGarvie, an RBI single by Karel, a bases loaded walk by Brena Bown and then a two-run base hit by Kylee Nixon. Karel’s three-run blast had put the Bulldogs up 3-0 in the top of the fourth. She finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs.
Out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup, Moore went 3-for-4 with a run and a double as part of the victory. Hhana enjoyed a 2-for-3 outing with two runs and a double. McGarvie added a hit, a run and an RBI. Before the second game was suspended, Tori Homolka had notched a pair of hits. An error as part of one of Homolka’s hits scored the lone Concordia run in four innings of game 2.
Haro is really swinging it out of the No. 5 spot in the lineup. Said Semler, “She’s on a tear that is so Hhana-like. It’s so nice to have her swinging the bat the way she normally does. It’s kind of a microcosm of what she’s been doing lately. She’s seeing a lot of pitches and you feel good when she’s at the plate.”
In the circle, Jerzi Rowe got the ball in game 2 and had worked each of the four innings that were completed. She allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out one. The Bulldog offensive attack did a number on Doane ace Josie Schnakenberg, who was chased after 4.2 innings (eight earned runs) in game 1. The Tigers are currently 17-15 overall (4-3 GPAC).
Concordia will return home on Saturday to host Midland (17-6, 5-1 GPAC) in a doubleheader slated to get underway at 1 p.m. CT from Plum Creek Park. The Warriors are now receiving votes in the NAIA national poll, along with the Bulldogs.