(Portsmouth, OH) Concordia Baseball hit the road again for a series against Shawnee State. They opened up the series with a pair of games on Sunday, winning the first and falling in the second.
Game 1: Concordia 11 – Shawnee State 6
Three different pitchers went for the Cardinals, starting with Bryon Mane, who earned the win, pitched the first four innings allowing 6 baserunners with 1 run allowed. Ryan VanSlambrouck and Trey Acker combined for the final three innings for Concordia. Acker struck out two Bears in his 2.1 scoreless innings.
The "Diamond Cards" got off to a quick start at the plate when Jake Kuhlman hit a leadoff single and was brought home by way of a Josh Burke homer. In Concordia's next at bat, the Cardinals scored their third run through three batters off of a Drew Fleming solo shot. Alex Czyzewski doubled the Concordia lead in the top of the third with a three-run home run, making it 6-0.
The Cardinals strung together a few hits and walks in the top of the fourth inning, highlighted by a Josh Burke RBI double and bases clearing triple from Joe Finder.
Shawnee State started to cut into the 10-run advantage for the Cardinals with a run in the bottom of the fourth, and another five in the ensuing inning. Tyler Wressel tacked on an insurance home run in the bottom of the sixth, marking Concordia's fourth homer of the game.
Game 2: Concordia 2 - Shawnee State 6
Owen Johnson started on the bump for Concordia in the second game, going three innings while allowing four runs. Kenneth (Dave) Rozmys pitched the final five innings, allowing just five baserunners while striking out seven.
This time it was the Bears who got on the scoreboard first, starting with a run scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second. Back-to-back doubles later in the inning added a pair of runs, making it 3-0 Bears after two innings played.
Jake Kuhlman and the Cardinals responded in the next half inning when the second baseman launched a two-run homer to cut into the lead. The Bears never relented their lead as they added on runs in the third, sixth, and eighth innings for the 6-2 win.
The rubber match of the three-game series will be on Monday, February 26th. First pitch is set for noon in Portsmouth.
