Stranded Chances By The Dozen

MOORHEAD, Minn. (4/18/12)—Concordia toured the bases in their first game against Gustavus and scored 11 times but then stranded 12 base runners in game 2 and settled for a split with the Gusties in Moorhead.

Concordia knocked out 13 hits and went 5-for-5 (.333) with runners in scoring position en route to a 11-1 win in the opener but then struggled to come up with the clutch hit in the nightcap, went just 2-for-12 (.167) with runners in scoring position and lost 5-3. Concordia had the bases loaded on two separate occasions and never plated a run.

The split pushes the Cobbers towards must-win territory in order to make the four-team MIAC playoffs. Concordia is now 5-7 in conference play and two games out of fourth place. CC is now 13-14 in all games. With the win in the second game, Gustavus ended a three-game winning streak. The Gusties are now 11-12 overall and 4-6 in league play.

Concordia seized control of the opener by scoring six runs in the fifth inning. The Cobbers had scratched their way to a 3-1 lead but then took complete command in the fifth when they opened up a 9-1 margin.  The two biggest hits in the inning came from Braden Rahman and Zach Hinkemeyer. Rahman hit a home run over the right-center field fence to score the first two runs of the inning and then Hinkemeyer dove in the final two runs with a double down the left field line.

Rahman and Jordan Doschadis led the Cobber 13-hit attack. Rahman was 2-for-4 with two RBI while Doschadis went 3-for-4 and scored three times.

Jackson Meland pitched the first six innings for the Cobbers and allowed just one earned run on six hits. He earned his fourth win of the year and lowered his ERA to 2.25.

Concordia fell behind in the very first inning of the second game on a two-run homer by Drew Block. CC got one back in the second but then surrendered two in the top of the third and could never get to within two runs again. The Cobbers had the bases loaded with only one out on two occasions and could only come up with a pair of runs.

CC had the game-tying run on first base in the seventh inning but a fly out to center field ended the comeback attempt and the game.

Michael Olson was one of three CC players to have two hits in the game. He went 2-for-4 for the game, 3-for-7 for the day and extended his hitting streak to 15 games. The school record for most consecutive games with a hit is 20 which was set by Kyle Johnson back in 2007.

Brian Guler and Chris Gilson also had two-hit games for Concordia. Doschadis was 1-for-3 in game 2 and wound up going 3-for-7 in both games and scored five runs. Rahman was held without a hit in the second game and had his 10-game hitting streak come to an end.

CC used three pitchers in game 2. Nate Wendorf started and went the first 3.0 innings. He allowed four of the five runs and five hits. Luke Kramer pitched a scoreless two innings and then Bryce Feia gave up his first earned run of the season in his only inning of work in the seventh.

Concordia will host a single non-conference game on Thursday at 4 p.m. against Valley City State and then return to MIAC play on Saturday when they host Macalester at 1 p.m. The game against the Scots will be another "Strike Out" prostate cancer fundraiser.