TUCSON, Ariz. – On day two of the Tucson Invitational, the Concordia University softball team got on the board with its first victory of the 2019 campaign. Monday (March 4) saw the Bulldogs run away with a 13-3 win over Missouri Valley College and then drop a 4-2, extra-inning affair with seventh-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University. Concordia notched 10 hits and 10 walks in the triumph.
Head coach Shawn Semler emerged with his first win with the Bulldogs, which are 1-3 having also slipped in Sunday action against No. 15 University of St. Francis (Ill.) and Madonna University (Mich.).
“We made a couple changes to the lineup and moved some kids around,” Semler said. “We were trying to generate a little more offense. It was nice to see that work out. We’re really trying to hone in on a lineup that works best for us. Today was a nice day to put some pieces together.”
Concordia cashed in on the trail of baserunners it strung together while faced with Viking pitching. As part of a four-run third inning, Hhana Haro sparked the Bulldogs with a two-run double and Savannah Robertson later followed with a two-run triple. A bases clearing triple by MacKinsey Schmidt in the seventh put the game completely out of reach.
Haro went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs and a pair of walks in the win. Other Bulldogs with two hits in the blowout were Tori Homolka, Leak Kalwarf and Elanna Osthoff. The top four hitters in the Concordia lineup each scored at least two runs. Seven Bulldogs notched at least one hit.
Playing in her hometown, senior Brittany Woolridge got the start in the circle versus Missouri Valley. She went 3.2 innings and allowed three runs before giving way to freshman Camry Moore. The Crete product tossed 3.1 scoreless innings to seal the win. Moore also hurled all eight innings of the second game against the nationally-ranked Wildcats. She helped her own cause with a two-run extra base hit that eventually forced an extra frame.
The offensive output has not been consistent through the opening four games of the season, but the Bulldogs have managed to hang right with two top 15 squads in the NAIA. Some squandered opportunities with runners on base was partly to blame for falling short in Monday’s capper.
“We can play at that level, but we lost both of those games,” Semler said. “It’s let us know that we’re in that realm and we have a good shot at doing some great things. We need to finish and work on the little things that probably caused us to lose those games. If we take away anything so far, it’s that we can be really good.”
Semler went with a lineup versus Mo Valley that featured Homolka, Schmidt, Haro and Osthoff one through four. Homolka has already started games at shortstop and at first base. Haro is a constant at third base while Osthoff and Schmidt are anchors in the outfield.
For the third day in a row, the Bulldogs will look forward to a pair of contests against NAIA foes. In Tuesday’s action at the Tucson Invite, Concordia will take on Bethel College (Ind.) at 11 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. CT before a clash with Benedictine College (Kan.) at 3:30 p.m. MT / 4:30 p.m. CT.