The #25 Concordia University baseball team (16-6) snapped nearly a two-week long layoff in a big way on Friday afternoon, defeating the University of Minnesota Duluth (10-17) 17-1 in the first game before falling 10-5 in the second game. It was their season opener at Bob Barnes Field after 11 home games were canceled due to poor spring weather conditions in the Midwest.
The Golden Bears started hot in the first game, manufacturing a pair of first inning runs after back-to-back walks to lead off the game. They would capitalize on wild pitches as they hustled around the base paths.
But the second inning is where the Bears started their fireworks, scoring eight runs including a grand slam by
Matt Borman, who was the starting pitcher and leadoff hitter for Concordia.
Concordia would score at least two runs in six of the seven innings, putting up two runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth while adding a three-spot in the seventh to go with the eight run second inning. The only inning Concordia did not score in was the sixth.
Borman finished the first game 1-3 with the grand slam and also scored three runs, drawing a pair of walks. He earned the win, improving to 5-0, pitching four near flawless innings, surrendering just one hit and walking three while striking out seven - including a span of five consecutive strikeouts in the first through third innings.
Aaron Pfalzgraff relived Borman and pitched three solid innings to earn his first save. In his three innings of work, Pfalzgraff allowed one run on two hits while walking two and striking out one.
Three Bears homered as
Jake Waldman hit his fourth and
James Kramer hit his first of the year. Borman's grand slam was his fourth home run of the season.
Six Golden Bears had two hits, six had two rbi and five had at least two runs with three of those five scoring three times in a well balanced team victory.
Concordia forced umd to throw six pitchers in the game who accounted to throw 168 pitches in the six innings they pitched. UMD walked nine Concordia batters and surrendered 17 hits - six for extra bases.
In the second game, the Concordia offense picked up where they left off, scoring three in the first and two in the second.
Andy Judkins delivered a two-run single down the left field line in the first and Waldman hit a two-run homer to right field in the second, his fifth of the year and second of the series.
The Bulldogs added a pair of unearned runs in the second, giving Concordia a 5-2 lead after two.
But Concordia's offense would shut down the rest of the way as Dallas Jagiela came on in relief to pitch three shut out innings from the fourth through the sixth while UMD mounted eight runs during that span to take a commanding 10-5 lead.
Starting pitcher
Jake Schmidt was chased from the game after four innings. He allowed seven runs, but only two of the seven were earned. Schmidt surrendered six hits and walked a pair while striking out four. It was a hard loss for the sophomore right hander, as he allowed multiple infield singles that died on the grass before the Concordia defense could make a play.
Fellow sophomore
Kirk Ingram came out of the bullpen in the fifth and forced the first two bulldogs into easy outs to first baseman
John Maciej. He loaded the bases with two outs but was able to get UMD leadoff batter Tony Doherty to fly out to end the inning.
Ingram pitched the sixth and allowed a two-run homer to right centerfield by David Olson after the leadoff batter reached on an error, forcing Ingram from the game.
Blake Devries and
Eric Utoft pitched the last two innings, with Devries allowing one unearned run and Utoft pitching a perfect 1-2-3 seventh.
Schmidt took the loss, falling to 2-2 on the season.
Designated hitter
Brenden Furrow went 3-4, Judkins had a pair of rbi, Borman scored two more runs despite going 0-3 with two walks and Maciej went 2-3 to lead the Bears.
Concordia returns to action on Wednesday, April 18 when they host Minnesota Crookston in a doubleheader at Barnes Field at 2:00.
cu 17, um duluth 1
um duluth 10, cu 5
