HASTINGS, Neb. – The postseason fate for Concordia University Softball remains a bit cloudy, but it really had to have the second game of Tuesday (April 26)’s final regular season doubleheader. The Bulldogs got it done thanks to a six-run 10th-inning while salvaging a split at Hastings. The host Broncos took game one, 6-3, before Concordia rebounded to win the 10-inning game two, 10-6. The Bulldogs scored six runs on six hits in the 10th frame.
Head Coach Tatum Edwards’ squad has concluded the regular season at 22-22 overall (10-12 GPAC). At the moment, Concordia resides in sixth place in the GPAC standings, but some movement is to be expected with nearly every other conference team still having games to play.
“Jerzi (Rowe) pitched so well – she pitched all 10 innings (of game two),” Edwards said. “She allowed her defense to work when she needed an out. She pitched with poise even though she lost her changeup in the fourth or fifth inning. She found it again later in the game. We weren’t do much with our at bats, but finally we figured it out offensively. It was a team win.
“I didn’t want them to have play with any pressure (in regard to making the postseason). We just wanted to look at it as an opportunity to play our best.”
It was a bit of a seesaw affair in the second game on a mild evening at the Smith Softball Complex. Camry Moore delivered a two-run homer (15th career homer) in the third and Zoie Isom gave the Bulldogs their first lead on a solo shot by Zoie Isom in the fifth. Hastings eventually forced extra innings with the help of an infield hit in the bottom of the seventh.
After scoreless eighth and ninth innings, Concordia broke loose. There were five-straight singles to begin the 10th, coming from Caitlyn McGarvie, Moore, Isom, Julia Van Wey and Maggi Hughes. With one out, Grace Boganowski added some insurance via a two-run single. Another run came home on Aubrey Bruning’s RBI ground out. The Bulldog offensive attack finished with 18 hits. Six Concordia players notched at least two hits in the victory.
There were also a lot of baserunners for the Broncos (20-23, 6-12 GPAC), but Rowe battled and allowed only two earned runs in her 10 innings of work. She scattered 10 hits and six walks.
In game one, Concordia was plagued by seven errors and an inability to get much offense going after the first inning. All three Bulldog runs in that contest were scored in the first inning when Moore drove one in on a ground out and Isom singled in two runs. Hastings pitcher Kyleigh Boever went the distance while picking up the win. In the circle for Concordia, Moore went 3.1 innings before being relieved by Megan Eurich for the final 2.2 innings.
The hot stretch for McGarvie, the Bulldog outfielder, deserves special mention. She went 5-for-7 with two walks on Tuesday. Since April 5, the Valparaiso, Neb., native has gone 20-for-43 (.465) with 12 runs scored and two doubles. She’s raised her season batting average to .383. In addition, Moore collected four hits in the doubleheader and moved her career hit total to 170 (ninth most in program history).
The Bulldogs will now await the results of GPAC regular season games yet to be played this week. Conference tournament pod play will run May 4-5 at the home sites of the top two seeds. The GPAC Championship Series is slated for May 7.