(Kansas City, MO) – Concordia baseball kicked off play in the NCCAA World Series on Saturday afternoon. The #2 seed Cardinals started play against #10 Asbury, pulling away for an 8-6 win after multiple lead changes. The team then faced #3 Northwestern in the nightcap, falling 14-7.
Game 1 – #2 CUAA 8, #10 Asbury 6
Joe Tany started game 1 on the mound, pitching 4.1 innings. Concordia struck first in the 1st when Jimmy Wressel hit an RBI double to drive in Aaron West.
Asbury got their first hit in the 3rd and scored 2 runs to go ahead 2-1. Concordia stormed back with 3 runs in the 5th, starting when Jordan Sherman hit an RBI single to drive in Aaron Brazelton. A 2-RBI single through the defense by Aaron West drove in Jordan Sherman and Jarrett Batanian.
Asbury tied the game with 2 runs in the bottom of the 5th. Timothy Pomaville came in to pitch midway through the inning, making 6 strikeouts over the remaining 4.2 innings.
Joe Jones hit a bloop single in the 6th to score Aaron Brazelton and put the Cardinals back up 5-4. The Concordia defense got a critical out at home plate in the 7th, but Asbury went on to plate 2 runs and retake the lead.
The Cardinals pulled ahead for good with a 3-run 8th inning. With the bases loaded, Jarrett Batanian hit a 2-RBI single through a hole in the defense driving in Justin Kozlowski and Ryan Kotecki. Joe Jones then used a sacrifice bunt to score Aaron Brazelton.
The Concordia defense held strong for the remainder of the game and claimed the 8-6 win.
Game 2 – #3 Northwestern 14, #2 CUAA 7
Tyson Kleinfelter started game 2, making a strikeout before being relieved. Jacob Henry finished the 1st, making 2 strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work. Northwestern scored 2 runs in the 1st and 2nd to take a 4-0 lead.
The Cardinals surged ahead with a 6-run 3rd inning, starting with an RBI groundout from Jimmy Wressel that scored Joe Jones. Calvin Syrjala then hit an opposite-field RBI single to drive in Jordan Sherman. A deep 2-RBI triple from Justin Kozlowski scored Kyle Hebner and Syrjala to tie the game. Aaron Brazelton put the team ahead with a deep RBI single that scored Kozlowski. Jarrett Batanian capped the inning with an RBI single to plate Brazelton.
Kenneth Rozmys and Logan Fleming combined to pitch in the 4th with Fleming going 4.2 innings with 2 strikeouts. Northwestern scored 3 runs to retake the lead and added a run in the 6th and 7th.
Aaron West scored in the 7th when the second baseman dropped a pop fly in right field. However, Northwestern's offense continued to convert taking a 14-7 lead. The Cardinals were unable to mount a comeback and took the loss.
Concordia remains alive in the tournament and will play again on Monday, May 23 at 12:00pm central time in an elimination game.
