WICHITA, Kan. – The day may have started a bit sluggishly, but the Concordia University softball bats came alive at the opportune time as a busy stretch of spring break action began on Friday (March 5). The Bulldogs opened up the Friends University Invitational in Wichita, Kan., by defeating Tabor College (Kan.), 5-2, before pummeling University of Saint Mary (Kan.), 9-0, in a run-rule shortened contest. Camry Moore, Regan Karel and Kylee Nixon each homered once apiece on the day.
Head Coach Shawn Semler’s squad has moved to 6-0 this season with all six wins coming against opponents from the state of Kansas. Moore’s three-run blast in the first game on Friday supplied the spark Concordia needed.
“If Camry doesn’t do that and we don’t win that game, our mental thoughts after that would have been rough,” Semler said. “That was a huge hit and pushed us into game two. I think in a tight game maybe our hitters tried to do too much. We seemed to get more comfortable in the second game and swung the bats like they know how to do. When they do that, good things happen.”
The Bulldogs may have learned a lesson about overlooking an opponent such as Tabor (currently 1-10 this season). Moore’s three-run homer in the top of the seventh broke a 2-2 tie and eased some of the frustration that had built throughout the game. Winning pitcher Jerzi Rowe made it a smooth bottom of the seventh by firing a 1-2-3 frame to close the deal.
The second game was a different story. Concordia put up four runs in the second and five in the third to make Moore’s life in the circle rather stress free. Three Bulldogs collected three hits against Saint Mary pitching: Karel (2-for-2), Jenessa Jarvis (2-for-3) and Nixon (2-for-3). Karel and Nixon both went deep in the bottom of the third while contributing to the rout. Karel scored two runs and drove in three while Jarvis and Nixon both notched two RBIs. Tori Homolka began the bottom of the third with a triple.
The Spire bats struggled to make contact against Moore, who piled up nine strikeouts in a five-inning shutout. She worked around four hits and one walk. Brooke Townsend started in the circle in the first game and pitched 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk. Rowe tossed the final 3.2 innings and recorded six strikeouts without conceding a run.
Jarvis led the team in total hits for the day with three. Six Bulldogs picked up exactly two hits on Friday. As a team, Concordia has slugged six home runs in six games. Moore and Nixon have left the yard twice apiece in 2021.
The Friends Invite schedule for the Bulldogs can be viewed below. All contests are being held at Two Rivers Youth Complex in Wichita. Saturday’s games will not be streamed live, but live stats can be followed via this link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/friends/.
Concordia at Friends Invite:
Friday, March 5
def. Tabor College (Kan.), 5-2
def. University of Saint Mary (Kan.), 9-0 | 5 inn.
Saturday, March 6
10 a.m. vs. Avila University (Mo.), Field 6
2 p.m. vs. Bethel College (Kan.), Field 3
Sunday, March 7
12 p.m. vs. Friends University (Kan.), Field 5
2 p.m. vs. Dakota State University (S.D.), Field 6