Bulldog baseball team faces Jimmies in four-game weekend series, coming out even with two wins and two losses

Junior Ernie Snyder making a pitch (photo from previous game).

Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh

By Maddy Peters

Sports Editor

The Concordia baseball team traveled down to Piedmont, Okla. to face the University of Jamestown Jimmies splitting their four-game series 2-2 with 11-9 and 16-3 losses in the first and fourth games respectively and 10-4 and 11-2 wins in the second and third respectively.

The Bulldogs suffered their first losses of the season at the hands of the old Great Plains Athletic Conference rivals, but also saw the return of sweet-swinging senior Jaiden Quinn, who hit his first and second home runs of the season. Senior Ty Nekoliczak also became the eighth Bulldog to achieve 200 career hits in game one.

Concordia took an early lead in the first game of the series with three runs in the first inning. Senior Bradley Hallock nailed a double with two on base netting himself two RBIs. Hallock was later able to run to home after an error from the Jimmies’ shortstop. The Bulldogs extended their lead with a long awaited Quinn grand slam in the second inning to put Concordia up 7-0 going into the seven-inning game.

The tirade was cut short as Jamestown put up three runs apiece in the next three innings to take a narrow lead. Concordia was unable to put up anything until a single run in the sixth inning off a double from sophomore Matt Rhoades. The Jimmies responded with another two runs in the top of the seventh and it was lights out for Concordia who managed one more run hit in again by Rhoades.

Senior Braxton Greenburg was the starting pitcher for the Bulldogs going for 3.0 innings. He had six hits for six runs and two strikeouts. Junior Aaron Petty took over for Greenburg and pitched 1.2 innings. He had four hits for three runs and one strikeout. Petty was credited with the loss for the game. Sophomore DJ Anderson closed out the game, pitching 2.1 innings with three hits for two runs and three strikeouts.

The middle games were fantastic offensively for Concordia. The Bulldogs went down 2-0 after the first inning, but clawed its way back to tie by the second inning and ending with a deluge of runs in the third and fourth innings.

Another Rhoades double in the first inning sent in Nekoliczak and junior Zackery Day pinch running for senior catcher Michael Welch ran home off an error from the Jamestown right fielder in the second to tie up the game.

Rhoades started off the third inning with his 17th career home run. Doubles from junior Bronx Lewis and Welch put the Bulldogs firmly ahead in game two. Concordia then had its second grand slam of the day from junior Jaeden Jordahl. One more run in the seventh off a single from Nekoliczak sealed the first win against the Jimmies.

Senior Christian Gutierrez, the workhorse himself, was the pitcher of the day going for 8.0 innings with six hits for four runs and six strikeouts for his 23rd career win. Senior Seth Clayborne finished out the last inning going one hit for no runs and two strikeouts.

Day two started with an overwhelming win over Jamestown. It started off slow with a run in the first and fourth apiece for Concordia. Hallock netted an RBI off a single in the first and Welch homered in the fourth.

The offense exploded for the Bulldogs in the top of the sixth with nine runs scored for the Bulldogs. Jamestown let the bases fill up and struggled to get the ball in play after well placed hits from the likes of Welch, Nekoliczak and senior Jimmy Blumberg.

Freshman Micah Sweenton was the starting pitcher for the Bulldogs in game three. He played for 4.2 innings going two hits for two runs with four strikeouts. Senior Maverick Wylder took over for Sweenton in the fifth inning going 1.1 innings with no hits and one strikeout. Junior Ernie Snyder closed out the last inning with no hits and two strikeouts. Wylder was credited with the win.

Game four started with a promising Quinn home run to start off the game. Jamestown, however, took that personally and blasted in seven runs in the bottom of the first to put the Bulldogs in a deep hole. Concordia remained scoreless till the sixth with a single from Quinn who later scored off an error by the Jimmies third baseman. Jamestown had not stopped sending in runs in the meantime with another run in the second, two in the third, five in the fourth and two in the sixth.

The pitching staff threw the kitchen sink at the game going through six pitchers throughout the contest. Freshman Kade Spomer was the pitcher credited with the loss, pitching 1.1 innings and going seven hits for seven runs with no strikeouts. Freshman Harrison Hoiekvam took over for another 1.1 innings, faring a bit better with one hit for two runs and one strikeout.

Junior Jake Nelms was next going for 0.2 innings with three hits for two runs and two strikeouts. Then came Sam Rambajan taking the next 0.2 innings with four hits for five runs and one strikeout. Junior Ben Laird managed a whole inning with two hits, no runs and two strikeouts. Junior Daiten Schmidt closed out the game with no hits or strikeouts.

Quinn hit himself a total of seven RBIs over the course of the series. Rhoades and Jordahl each had five and Welch finished with four. Defensively, Nekoliczak finished with the most assists at 11 for the weekend.

The team is now 5-2 overall and next faces William Penn University and Dickinson State University in Kansas City, Kan. on Feb. 28 and March 1.