(Troutville, VA) – Concordia softball continued play at the NCCAA World Series on Thursday afternoon. The Cardinals faced off against #1 seed Erskine College in the morning, battling hard but falling 7-4. The loss placed CUAA in second place in Pool A, earning them a matchup with Pool B champion and #2 overall seed Biola in the nightcap. The game was close early on, but Biola pulled away to hand Concordia a 6-1 loss.
Game 1 - #1 Erskine 7, #4 CUAA 4
Maddie Cieczka (FR/Cudahy, WI) started at pitcher in the first game for Concordia. Erskine took an early lead with 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. Neither team scored in the 2nd inning with Cardinal left fielder Tyffani Bryan (JR/Tecumseh, MI) catching a lineout and a flyout.
Concordia tied the game with 2 runs in the 3rd. Carly Pearson (JR/San Diego, CA) got the Cardinals on the board by crushing her first career home run to left field. Lyndsey Ryba (FR/Hillman, MI) later hit a 2-out double and was driven in by an RBI single up the middle from Lauren Reichel (FR/Onsted, MI).
Erskine retook the lead with 2 runs in the 4th inning. The Cardinals threatened in the 5th after Carly Pearson drew a walk and Tyffani Bryan got on base with a bunt single. Lyndsey Ryba used a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, but Erskine secured the final out to allow no runs.
Erskine added 3 more runs in the bottom of the 5th to take a 7-2 lead. Kara Gehrke (SR/Alpena, MI) came on to pitch for the Cardinals, securing a flyout to end the inning.
Concordia kept fighting with 2 runs in the top of the 6th. Megan Laib (JR/Tinley Park, IL) and Kali Hill (SR/Chelsea, MI) got on base with singles, and a deep double from Megan Hinkle (SO/Aurora, IL) scored pinch runner Carley Drzewiecki (JR/Traverse City, MI). Cierra Woods (SR/Gaylord, MI) used a sacrifice fly to drive in pinch runner Kassidy Grandorff (JR/Rochester, WA), cutting the deficit to 7-4.
Kara Gehrke kept the game within reach for Concordia, stranding one Erskine runner in the 6th and ending the inning with a strikeout. The Cardinals had a great opportunity in the 7th after Tyffani Bryan and Lyndsey Ryba led off the inning with singles. However, Erskine closed out the game with a double play and CUAA fell 7-4.
Game 2 – #2 Biola 6, #4 CUAA 1
Lauren Reichel began game 2 on the mound for the Cardinals, notching 3 strikeouts. Biola scored first in the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the 1st to take an early lead.
Neither team scored in the 2nd or 3rd inning. Lauren Reichel struck out 2 batters in the 2nd and the Concordia defense turned a double play in the 3rd.
The Cardinals tied the game with a run in the 4th. Kali Hill drilled a deep RBI double which scored pinch runner Kassidy Grandorff to knot the game up 1-1. However, Biola added 2 more runs in the bottom of the 4th to take a 3-1 lead.
Biola used a 3-run homer to extend their lead to 6-1 after the 5th. Melanie Richardson (JR/Livonia, MI) came on to pitch and secured a flyout to end the inning.
The Cardinals were unable to get their bats going in the 6th or 7th inning. Kali Hill hit a 1-out single in the 7th, but Biola came away with the 6-1 win.
Concordia concludes their season 28-22 overall. Biola advances to the NCCAA World Series championship game tomorrow at noon against #1 seed Erskine.
