Pitching Staff Steps Into Spotlight

MOORHEAD, Minn. (4/12/17)---On Tuesday it was the hitting that catapulted Concordia to a pair of wins. On Wednesday it was the pitching staff that drove the Cobbers to a 5-2 victory over Valley City State.

Concordia used five pitchers to limit the high-powered Viking offense to only one earned run and five hits. Valley City entered the game having scored 77 runs and pounding out 115 hits in their last seven games.

The Cobbers have now won four straight and up their overall record to 14-11 on the year. The Vikings lose for only the second time in the last nine games and drop to 15-20.

Two-sport athlete Jake Stilwell got the start on the hill for Concordia and he went the first 3.0 innings and allowed one run and two hits. Freshman Drew Olsonawski pitched the fourth frame and gave up an unearned run. Ty Syverson then entered the game in the fifth and was nearly perfect in the next 3.0 innings. His only blemish was a two-out hit in the fifth. He retired seven of the last eight batters he faced.

Syverson was credited with the win which is first collegiate victory.

The Cobbers then went to a pair of position players to finish out the game on the mound. First baseman Turner Storm gave up a walk and a hit in the eighth but then got two consecutive fly-ball outs to end the inning and stop any chance of a VCSU rally.

Senior catcher Joe Hallock then entered the game in the ninth and recorded a 1-2-3 inning to earn his fourth save of the year.

Concordia's offense did all of its damage in the first five innings. CC scored a pair of runs in the first and then put up single-run frames in the third, fourth and fifth innings. The biggest hit of the afternoon came from Hallock who laced a one-out pitch over the left field fence in the third to give the Cobbers a 3-1 lead.  

Nate Hoeft drove in the run in the fourth on a fielder's choice ground ball and then Nate Leintz came through with a two-out single up the middle that scored Hallock.

Hallock and Chad Johnson were the only two CC batters with more than one hit on the day. Hallock was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Johnson was 3-for-4 and drove in one of the two runs in the first inning.

Leintz and Alec Sames came through with the other base knocks for the Cobbers.

HIGH FIVE: The two runs are the fewest allowed in a nine-inning game for the Cobbers this season. The five hits are also the least allowed in a nine-inning game for the CC pitching staff.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END: Senior Cody Rahman had his 10-game hit streak come to an end. He went 0-for-4 on the day.

AND SOME THINGS KEEP GOING: Joe Hallock has now reached base safely in 14 straight games which is a team high for the year. He also has a five-game hit streak. Hallock is now hitting .349 which is 138 points above his average from last year.

TAKING THE FIFTH: Concordia scored another run in the fifth inning. The Cobbers have now scored 21 times in the fifth inning which is the most of any frame this year.

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will return to conference play when they host Augsburg on Saturday, Apr. 15 at 1 p.m. The Auggies have lost six straight and are 13-15 overall and 1-7 in the MIAC.

JOE HALLOCK POSTGAME INTERVIEW: