Cobbers Cruise Through Seven, Hit A Speed Bump In The Eighth

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (03/05/2022)---Concordia outscored Dubuque 4-1 in eight of the nine innings on Saturday in Winter Haven. Unfortunately for the Cobbers, the eighth inning proved costly as CC gave up four runs and fell 5-4 to the Spartans.

Concordia scored a pair of runs in the first, added two more in the fifth and rose the strong arm of starting pitcher Mitch Porter to cruise through the first seven innings of the non-conference game. The Cobbers got into trouble in the eighth when the first two Dubuque batters reached base. The Spartans then got a 2-out single to score the first run, and then came up with a game-winning, 3-run homer to finish off the 4-run frame.

The loss drops the Cobbers' record to 2-4 on the Florida trip. Dubuque wins for the fourth straight game and finishes their Florida spring trip with a 5-2 record.

Concordia's first two runs came in the first five batters of the opening inning. Thomas Horan led off with a walk and senior Andy Gravdahl followed with a single to center field. Matt Gruber walked to load the bases, and Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe drove in the first run with a single to center. Wyatt Gunkel staked CC to a 2-run lead when he singled to left field.

The game would stay at 2-0 until the Cobbers took a 4-run lead in the fifth. Once again it was the top of the order that did the damage. Horan and Gravdahl reached base again and then a successful sacrifice from Gruber moved the runners to second and third. An RBI ground out by Henkemeyer-Howe and a double by Gunkel gave Concordia a 4-0 lead midway through the only game of the day.              

Dubuque countered with a single run in the bottom of the fifth and then got the win in the eighth with the four game-deciding runs.

Both teams had eight hits on the day.

Henkemeyer-Howe, Gunkel and Justin Kloster all had 2-hit games against the Spartans. Henkemeyer-Howe and Gunkel both had a pair of RBI vs. the Spartans. Horan and Gravdahl scored two runs each.

Gunkel leads the team in hitting with a .571 average over the five games he has played. He has posted multiple-hit games in four of the five contests this year and has a pair of multiple-RBI games.

Gravadahl has now hit safely in all six games in 2022 and is hitting .346.    

Porter was on top of his game in the first 7.0 innings. He only allowed the single earned run, scattered six hits and struck out three. He didn't allow a base runner past first base until the fifth inning.

UP NEXT: Concordia will play its final 9-inning game in Florida when they face Crown on Sunday, Mar. 6 at 10 a.m.