Concordia University (30-11) used a five run seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie and then held off the host and top seed Wayne State (35-13) 9-6 in the first round of the NSIC tournament on Thursday afternoon in Wayne, Neb. The red-hot Bears are now 12-1 in their last 13 games.
Andy Judkins went 2-4 with a double and four rbi while
Matt Borman was 3-5 with two runs, an rbi, a double and a stolen base.
Jake Waldman and
Derek Mason each recorded two-hit performances while
Mason Reinhart drove in a pair of runs.
Jake Schmidt started for the Bears and was solid, pitching seven strong innings allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out four to improve to 6-3.
Borman came on in relief and worked two innings allowing one run while striking out two.
The Bears jumped on the Wildcats early, with Waldman reaching on a one out single to right center. He advanced when
Brenden Furrow's fly ball to center was misplayed and came around to score on an rbi groundout by Judkins.
The Wildcats got a pair in the second, however, to claim an early 2-1 lead.
The Bears wasted no time in grabbing the lead back with two more in the top of the third. Borman led off the inning with a double to right center and was moved to third on a bunt single by Waldman. After Furrow went down swinging, Judkins picked up his second rbi with a single through the right side. Waldman would score on the next at bat when Reinhart delivered a sacrifice fly to right field.
Borman knocked in a single to center in the fourth inning, extending the CU lead to 4-2.
Two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth for the Bears allowed the wildcats back into the game, as they added a run in each inning to tie the score heading into the seventh.
That's when Concordia put Wayne State away, sending ten batters to the plate in a five run inning. Furrow again hit a sacrifice fly to right that was misplayed for an error, scoring Waldman who reached with a one out single. Furrow advanced to second on the play, keeping a one out rally alive.
With a Borman single and stolen base sandwiched in between, the Bears still had two runners on for Judkins, who smashed a two run double to left center. Reinhart and Mason would also contribute rbi singles in the five run outburst to give Concordia a commanding 9-4 lead.
Wayne state answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh, which was enough to end Schmidt's afternoon after seven solid innings.
The Wildcats would also tag Borman for a run in the eighth but left two runners on. In the ninth, Borman shut down a Wildcat rally, stranding runners on first and second to shut the door.
The Bears advance to the winners bracket of the second round of the NSIC tournament and will take on Winona State, who defeated SMSU 6-5 in the earlier game. The teams will take the field at 1:00 p.m., following the 10:00 a.m. game between Wayne State and SMSU in the double-elimination tournament.
cu 9, wayne state 6
