Offensive Warmth In The Sunshine State

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (2/28/17)---- The Cobber offense loves Florida. A day after scoring 15 runs in the first win of the season, Concordia put up 20 runs and 22 hits and beat Milwaukee School of Engineering 9-3 and 11-2.

The sweep of the doubleheader against the Pirates keeps Concordia unbeaten in the Sunshine State, runs their win streak to three games and ups their overall season record to 3-2.

The Cobbers never trailed in the two games against MSOE. They built up a 3-0 lead in the first three innings of the opener, pushed the lead to 9-1 in the sixth frame and held on to win by a half dozen runs. The second game was put out of reach with six consecutive runs in the first four innings of play. CC would then add two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings before finishing off the scoring with a lone run in the top of the seventh.

Senior Cody Rahman used the relief from getting past 100-hit milestone and put up multiple-hit games in both ends of the doubleheader against MSOE. He went 2-for-4 with three RBI in the opener and was 2-for-5 with three more RBI in Game 2. Rahman also had a double in each game and brought his season average up to .286.

The Cobbers bookended three-run innings in the first game. Joe Hallock had a two-RBI double with one out in the first inning and then Rahman had a two-run double with two outs in the seventh.

Hallock and Grant Toivonen also had multiple-hit games for CC in the first game. Hallock went 2-for-4 and had two RBI. Toivonen was 2-for-3 and scored two runs.

Junior pitcher Cole Christensen, making his second start of the season, pitched the first six innings and didn't allow an earned run to record his first win of the year. He gave up seven hits but also struck out six. Freshman Tanner McBain pitched the sixth and seventh frames and allowed two hits and didn't walk a batter.                 

The second game was all Cobbers as they scored single runs in the first and third innings and then added a four-spot in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead.

Concordia banged out 12 hits in the finale and had all nine position players get a hit in the game. Rahman, Turner Storm and Nate Leintz led the offense with two hits each. Storm went 2-for-4, drove in a run and scored a run while Leintz was 2-for-3 and had a pair of RBI. Junior Chad Johnson picked up his first hit of the year as he tripled home a run in the sixth. He finished the game with two RBI.

Freshman hurler Austin Ver Steeg got the second start of his college career and picked up his first college win. He went the first 6.0 innings, gave up six hits and only allowed two earned runs. He now has a 2.57 ERA in his first two appearances of the year.

Junior Jack Hiedeman pitched a scoreless seventh and didn't allow a hit. 

WHAT'S NEXT: It's back to a single game for the Cobbers on Wednesday. Concordia will face Augustana (Ill.) at 10 a.m. central time. The Vikings are 6-1 on the season.