Sower sports roundup, February 1

By Maddy Peters

Sports Editor

If you missed Concordia University Nebraska sports this weekend, here is what happened.

The Concordia softball team started off their season with split games against the Mayville State University Comets and the University of Sioux Falls Cougars in Sioux Center Iowa. The team next has a double header against Culver-Stockton College on Feb. 2.

The Bulldogs beat Mayville 5-0 and lost to Sioux Falls 4-3. Senior Jennifer Katz hit a home run to net herself a game high two RBIs in the bottom of the sixth. Senior Hanna Bowers and sophomore Aubrianna Krieser also netted themselves an RBI apiece off of singles. Sophomore Kaylei Denison stunned with a two-hit game and eight strikeouts after a 1-10 win-loss record last season.

Concordia faced former Great Plains Athletic Conference school Sioux Falls in the next game. Senior Kylie Shottenkirk started off the game with an RBI to send in Bowers, but the team was unable to score again until the sixth inning where junior Tobi Topp had a sacrifice groundout to send in Shottenkirk. Krieser hit a double in the top of the seventh to net herself another RBI, but it was not enough to beat Sioux Falls’ four runs they had built up over the course of the game. Senior Megan Eurich was the pitcher for the game with five hits for four runs, three strikeouts and four errors.

Concordia tennis started their spring season with matches against the McPherson College Bulldogs on Feb. 1 in Kearney. The women lost 5-2 and the men lost 4-3. Both teams are 1-1 on the season. The men next face Iowa Central Community College on Feb. 7 in Fremont while the women break until a Feb. 13 match against Mount Marty University.

The women were swept in the double point signaling a hard road ahead in the single matches. Junior Mariana Molano and freshman Ishane Derman were Concordia’s only winners on the women’s side. Molano won the No. 1 match 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-1) with two tie-breakers necessary to take the point from McPherson’s Vanessa Hofer. Derman won the No. 5 match against McPherson’s Ava Bolin 6-3, 6-3 to take the other point for Concordia.

The men were also swept by No. 22 McPherson in the doubles point, but had a better singles run to eke out a closer loss. Junior Hugo Fuentes won the No. 1 match 6-2, 6-2 against Daniel Marcano, junior Nick Velders won the No. 2 match 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 against Arthur Nardy and senior Manuel Rodriguez won the No. 4 match 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 against Celian Botlan.