Shutout pushes Dogs to new season win mark

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Ace pitcher Jaydee Jurgensen tossed a five-hit shutout to fuel a 1-0 game one victory that bumped the Concordia University baseball team’s season win total to 26, breaking the program single-season record as part of the team’s final twin bill of the regular season. Then in a 14-inning affair, host Midland clipped the Bulldogs, 4-3, April 24 in Fremont.

The doubleheader split leaves Head Coach Ryan Dupic’s squad at 26-18 overall and 8-12 in conference play. Currently in ninth place in the league standings, Concordia will need help to qualify for next week’s eight-team GPAC tournament. But on this night, Dupic marveled at the way the team’s pitching and defense came together – two distinct weaknesses of the 2014 team.

“I could not be more proud,” Dupic said. “Our guys competed so hard and we had two pitchers going on short rest. Jaydee was totally dominant, and Taylor (Bickel) competed incredibly into the 10th inning. This was about as well as we’ve played all year, pitching and defense. I couldn’t believe some of the defensive plays we made.”

Working on three days rest for the first time this season, Jurgensen escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first and then dominated the rest of the way. He posted his third shutout of the season in a must-win game in regard to Concordia’s postseason hopes. The lefty from Lincoln walked two and struck out two while moving to 6-1 on the year.

Concordia pushed across game one’s lone run on a Ryan Fesmire RBI single that scored Taylor Dudley in the top of the sixth off Midland pitcher Kiefer Musiel. The Warrior right-hander was tagged with the loss despite holding the Bulldogs to six hits and one walk over seven frames.

The victory surpassed the 25 wins posted by the 2012 Concordia baseball team.

“Obviously it was nice setting the school record,” Dupic said. “We honestly didn’t think much of it at the time. We were just focused on that second game.”

Game two looked to be a slugfest with the scored knotted at 3-3 after two innings. That’s when both Bickel and Midland’s Seth Heckel settled in. Like Jurgensen, Bickel started also started on Monday in the doubleheader sweep of Northwestern. The lefty from Surprise, Arizona, worked 9 1/3 innings and surrendered three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven. He threw more than 130 pitches.

He finally gave way to Mark Harris with one out in the 10th. Harris held the Warriors (24-29, 8-10 GPAC) off the scoreboard until the deciding 14th inning when an infield single by Jake Loftus with the bases loaded plated the walk-off, game-winning run.

Dudley went 5-for-9 on the night to pace the Concordia offensive attack. Alex Cargin went 3-for-5 with an RBI in game 2. Leadoff hitter Alex Alstott produced a 3-for-8 evening that included a double.

Should the Bulldogs sneak into the GPAC tournament, they will play again on Thursday, April 30, at a site to be determined. Said Dupic, “We need some help. We’ll just wait and see now.”

Tigers sweep Dogs

With a chance to break a program record for wins in a season, Concordia fell twice at home to rival Doane April 23. The Bulldogs’ final 2015 home appearance saw losses come by scores of 6-4 and 18-3 in a run-rule shortened night cap.

Due to postponements over the weekend, Concordia played its third doubleheader in four days and began Thursday with several of its top pitchers unavailable. That gave junior righty AJ Peterson a chance to make his first career start on the mound. He was one of five Bulldog pitchers used in a competitive first game.

Concordia brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh after Doane (32-12, 11-7 GPAC) led by as many as four runs. The Bulldogs tightened the score with two seventh-inning runs with the help of a Tiger error and a wild pitch that made it a 6-4 ballgame. After Dudley singled through the left side, pinch hitter Daniel Wilkerson flew out to right for the final out of the contest.

Game two quickly got out of hand. Doane scored four runs in both the first and third innings and the five more in the fourth. Doane’s Kevin Clausen, Nick Studer and Jake Smith went a combined 10-for-12 as part of a 19-hit attack. Doane ended the evening with a combined 27 hits.

The Tigers got a seven-inning complete game performance from starting pitcher Ryan Bergstrom in game two. He allowed just one hit – a two-run Fesmire single – the entire night. He struck out eight and walked three while surrendering just one earned run.

Concordia game two starting pitcher Cade Moring was tagged with 11 earned runs on 10 hits and three walks in three innings. Wyatt Weller and James Hall also entered the contest in relief.

Dudley went 3-for-4 with a run in the opening game to highlight Concordia’s offensive output. Kaleb Geiger hit his first career home run in the bottom of the fourth inning of game one.

CU, Morningside split

GPAC pitcher of the week Josh Prater continued his masterful work in leading the Concordia University baseball team to a 2-0 blanking of Morningside in game two of April 21’s GPAC doubleheader at Plum Creek Park.

That performance relieved some of the sting of the 7-5 game one loss that saw the Mustangs rally back from a 4-1 deficit.

CU sweeps Northwestern

Alstott reached base all nine times and the Bulldog bullpen hurled a combined seven scoreless innings as Concordia swept a doubleheader from Northwestern at home April 20.

The pair of wins gave the Dogs their first overall winning season since the 1979 team went 15-9-1.

Learn more about Alstott’s career on our website, www.sewardindependent.com.