4th & 5th Innings Lead To 1st Florida Loss

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (3/01/17)---Take out the fourth and fifth innings in the Cobbers' nine-inning game with Augustana (Ill.) and Concordia would have a four-game win streak and be unbeaten in Florida.

Unfortunately for the Cobbers baseball doesn't skip from the third to the sixth inning and they wound up losing 10-4 to the Vikings. Concordia gave up eight of the 10 runs in the fourth and fifth frames and allowed seven of the 1 overall hits in the decisive two innings.

The loss is the first of the annual spring break trip to Florida. Concordia is now 3-3 in all games this season. Augustana has now won three straight games and is 7-1 on the year.

The Cobbers got on the board first in the top of the opening inning when Cody Rahman's sacrifice fly scored freshman Austin Ver Steeg who reached base on an error by the left fielder.

Augustana would tie the game in the bottom of the third and then blow the game open with the eight runs in the fourth and fifth frames.

Concordia finished off their scoring in the game by plating two runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth.

Senior Grant Vagle drove in the Cobbers' second run of the game when he recorded the first hit of his collegiate career. Vagle smacked a two-out double to right field which scored Turner Storm from second base. Chad Johnson then scored Vagle on a single after Vagle had moved up to third on a balk.

Grant Toivonen drove home CC's fourth run of the game when his ground ball to second base scored Nate Hoeft.

Hoeft was the only Concordia player with more than one hot in the game. He went 2-for-3 from the No.9 spot in the order and scored one run.

The Cobbers used three pitchers in the game. Zack Nelson got the start on the hill and lasted 4.2 innings. He gave up seven earned runs and seven hits.

Jack Hiedeman made his second appearance in as many days and gave up a run and a hit in one-third of an inning.

Freshman Drew Olsonawski made his collegiate debut and pitched the final 3.0 innings for CC. He gave up one run and three hits and struck out one.

WHAT THE "H" IS GOING ON OUT THERE: The "H" and "H" tandem of Joe Hallock and Ryan Heisler lead the team in batting average in the first six games of the year and both have a team-high four-game hit streak. Hallock extended his hit streak to four games with a leadoff single in the fourth inning. Heisler leads the team in hitting with a .417 average and Hallock is second at .412.

FOURTH AND FIFTH FILTH: The fourth and fifth innings have given the Cobbers trouble in the early games of the year. CC has allowed a combined 15 runs in those two innings. Concordia opponents have scored a total of 14 runs in the other seven innings combined.

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will play another single game in Florida on Thursday. The Cobbers will square off against Alma (Mich.) at 1:30 p.m. central time on Mar. 2. The Scots are 0-5 this year in their five games in Florida.