(Rochester, MI) – Concordia baseball traveled to Rochester for a 2-game series on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals' bats came alive with 62 combined runs in the two victories.
Game 1 – CUAA 26, RU 4 (7 innings)
Taishin Matsushita started game 1, making 2 strikeouts in 4 innings. Concordia struck first with an RBI single from Drew Fleming scoring Kyle Hebner. Rochester tied the game in the bottom half.
The Cardinals had a 7-run 2nd inning, starting with Jarrett Batanian scoring on a passed ball. Kyle Hebner hit a 2-RBI single and Aaron West crushed a 2-run homer. Caleb Harmond had an RBI single and then made it home on an error to cap the inning.
In the 3rd, Aaron Brazelton led off with a solo home run. Jimmy Wressel hit a 2-RBI single and Jordan Sherman smacked a 3-run homer.
In the 4th, Aaron West scored on a passed ball. Drew Fleming reached home on a wild pitch and Jimmy Wressel made it home on another passed ball.
In the 5th, Derek Hebner drew a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and then Jake Ryan drew a walk. Mackenzie Martin pitched the last 3 innings with a strikeout.
In the 6th, Andre Hutchins had an RBI double and Taisei Yamada hit a 3-run homer.
In the 7th, Jordan Markiewicz and Tyler Wressel had RBI sacrifice flies. Andre Hutchins hit an RBI double to drive home Aaron Brazelton and close out scoring.
Game 2 – CUAA 36, RU 7 (7 innings)
Drew Murphy started game 2, making 2 strikeouts in 3 innings. In the 1st, Aaron West scored on a wild pitch to open scoring. Drew Fleming reached home on an error and Jordan Sherman hit an RBI single.
A 12-run 2nd inning started with Kyle Hebner drawing a bases-loaded walk. Drew Fleming smacked a grand slam and Caleb Harmond added a 2-RBI single. Justin Kozlowski had an RBI sacrifice fly and then Aaron West smashed the second grand slam of the inning.
In the 3rd, Kyle Hebner hit a 3-run homer. In the 4th, Drew Fleming opened with a solo home run. Jarrett Batanian hit an RBI single and Justin Kozlowski added a 2-RBI triple. Taishin Matsushita capped the inning with a bases-loaded walk scoring Kozlowski.
In the 5th, Curtis Townsend crushed the team's third grand slam of the day. Jake Ryan added an RBI groundout.
In the 7th, Andre Hutchins had an RBI single and Taisei Yamada drew a bases-loaded walk. Blake Weaver had a fielder's choice RBI, Derek Hebner added an RBI single, and Curtis Townsend hit an RBI groundout. Jarrett Batanian capped the day with a 2-run homer, the team's 6th long ball of the day.
Concordia will return home tomorrow to host Indiana Tech for a doubleheader starting at 1pm.
