(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia baseball traveled to rival Siena Heights on Saturday afternoon to continue WHAC conference play. The Cardinals came in 29-13 overall (11-3 WHAC) while the Saints entered 7-18 overall (3-3 WHAC). CUAA turned in a solid performance in both games with plenty of run support, earning the sweep with an 8-2 win in game 1 and a 14-5 victory in game 2.
Game 1 – CUAA 8, SHU 2
Joe Tany pitched a complete game in the first contest, notching 6 strikeouts. Concordia struck first in the 2nd inning when Chris Lowe used a sacrifice fly to drive in Grant Steinborn for a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals maintained their lead until Siena Heights tied the game in the 5th.
Concordia pulled away with 3 runs in the 6th inning. Jordan Sherman opened scoring with an RBI single that drove in Grant Steinborn. RJ Bortle then later hit a single for an RBI that scored Sherman. Adam Purdy closed out scoring with another RBI single that brought Vann Acker home. While the Saints got a run back in the bottom of the 6th, CUAA led 4-2.
Concordia extended their lead with 2 more runs in the 7th on a 2-RBI double by Calvin Syrjala scoring Grant Steinborn and Victor Diaz. The Cardinals added a run in the 8th when Victor Diaz had an RBI single to score Dylan Stienke. RJ Bortle capped off scoring in the game with an RBI triple in the 9th that drove in Vann Acker.
Joe Tany performed well throughout the game, finishing off his complete game in the bottom of the 9th and securing the 8-2 victory.
Game 2 – CUAA 14, SHU 5
Brendan Lyons began game 2 on the mound, recording 4 strikeouts in 4 innings. Concordia turned a double play to close out the bottom of the 1st inning on defense.
The Cardinals broke the shutout with 3 runs in the 3rd inning. Victor Diaz reached home on a wild pitch for the first run of the game. Calvin Syrjala smashed an RBI triple to score Grant Steinborn and then eventually scored on an error by the center fielder. Siena Heights scored in the bottom of the 3rd but CUAA still led 3-1.
Victor Diaz reached home in the 5th inning to extend Concordia's lead. CUAA plated 3 more runs in the 6th, starting with a 2-RBI triple from Chris Lowe that scored Adam Purdy and Jarrett Batanian. Grant Steinborn added an RBI single that drove in Victor Diaz for a 7-1 lead.
Siena Heights tightened the game with 4 runs in the 7th to pull within 2 runs, but Concordia responded with 6 runs in the 8th. Jimmy Wressel hit a double that allowed Joe Jones, Grant Steinborn, and Victor Diaz to score. Jordan Sherman hit an RBI single to score Caleb Chamberlain. Finally, Adam Purdy rounded the big inning with a 2-RBI single that scored Vann Acker and Sherman.
Concordia added one run more in the 9th when Robert Brenay stole home off a double-steal with Grant Steinborn. The Cardinals clinched the 14-5 win to finish off the sweep.
Concordia will remain on the road tomorrow when they play a WHAC doubleheader at Lourdes. First pitch is at 1pm.
