Three-game win streak snapped by Nebraska Wesleyan
SEWARD, Neb. – Despite continued hot hitting from junior Julia Tyree, the Concordia University softball team fell twice at the hands of Nebraska Wesleyan in Wednesday night’s home doubleheader at Plum Creek Park. The Prairie Wolves, winners of eight of their last nine GPAC games, took decisions by scores of 5-4 and 11-2 in an eight-run rule shortened affair.
Second-year head coach Todd LaVelle’s squad, which entered the night with a three-game win streak, slipped to 19-16 overall and 6-6 in conference play. The Bulldogs are tied for fifth in the loss column in the conference standings.
The Bulldogs nearly came back from a 5-2 deficit entering the seventh inning of game 1. Concordia had life when Tyree stroked a two-run homer (sixth of the season) to center field with her team down to its final out against starter Marisa Garver. After hitting Michaela Woodward, Garver then retired Molly Madsen with a grounder to second to end the game.
Designated player Maddie Ethen powered the Nebraska Wesleyan (17-15, 10-4 GPAC) game 2 win with a pair of two-run homers. Ethen and company tagged Woodward for eight hits over 3.1 innings in the night cap. Woodward was then pulled for freshman Jordana Goncalves, who walked six hitters and allowed four runs in 1.2 innings of work.
Center fielder Regan Doiel emerged as a bright spot in the lopsided game 2 loss. She went 2-for-2 and drove in both Bulldog runs. Freshman Autumn Owens was the only other player to record a hit in the second contest with Garver again in the circle.
Tyree’s 0-for-1 (two walks) performance in game 2 put a halt to a 10-game hitting streak. Over the past 14 games, the native of Benicia, Calif., is 20-for-35 (.571) with five doubles, a triple, four home runs, 12 runs and 15 RBIs. The stretch of red-hot hitting has bumped her season average to a team high .453.
Like last week’s twin bill at Hastings, Woodward (10-8) started both ends of the doubleheader in the circle. She suffered the loss in each of Wednesday’s defeats.
The Bulldogs will close their 2015 home schedule on Sunday when they host Mount Marty (10-17, 3-11 GPAC) in a doubleheader set to begin at 1 p.m. Concordia will honor its six seniors as part of senior day.