(Johnson City, TN) – Concordia baseball traveled to Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, escaping Michigan to get in a pair of games in warmer weather. The Cardinals faced off against Hillsdale College first followed by a game against Milligan. CUAA fought hard in both games but fell in the doubleheader.
Game 1 – Hillsdale 6, CUAA 5
Joe Tany started at pitcher for the Cardinals. Concordia plated one run in the top of the 1st when Adam Purdy led off with a single, stole second, and eventually scored on a bobbled ball. Tyson Kleinfelter came in to pitch in the 2nd, striking out 3 batters in 5.1 innings of work. Hillsdale tied the game with a home run in the bottom of the 3rd and added two more runs in the 4th.
The Cardinals got a run back in the top of the 5th when RJ Bortle reached base on an error and pinch runner Ryan Kotecki eventually scored off multiple errors. Concordia tied the game 3-3 in the 7th when an RBI single from Adam Purdy scored pinch runner Joe Jones.
The Cardinals took the lead in the top of the 8th when a 2-RBI single from Preston Sherman scored Caleb Chamberlain and Dylan Steinke. However, Hillsdale scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win the game 6-5.
Game 2 – Milligan 14, CUAA 5
Billy Blair started on the mound for Concordia. The game remained scoreless through 2 innings with Blair not allowing a single base runner. Milligan broke the game open in the bottom of the 3rd with 4 runs.
Brendon Lyons, Jacob Henry, Caden Flanery, and Ryan Abenth combined to pitch the remainder of the game. The Cardinals were unable to get a runner across the plate while Milligan extended their lead to 14-0 after the 7th.
The Concordia bats came alive with a 5-run 8th inning. RJ Bortle broke the shutout with a bases-loaded single to score Jarrett Batanian. Jordan Sherman drew a walk to bring home Ryan Kotecki. Joe Jones hit a 2-RBI single scoring Johnny Shields and RJ Bortle, and Victor Diaz singled to drive in Sherman.
The Cardinals were unable to come back in the 9th and fell by a final score of 14-5.
Concordia will play next at Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday, February 27 at 1:00pm.
