(Fort Wayne, IN) – Concordia baseball began WHAC tournament play on Thursday afternoon as they traveled to Indiana Tech. The Cardinals received the #4 seed and were placed in Pod #1 for a double-elimination tournament with #5 Lawrence Tech and #1 Indiana Tech. Concordia started off with a 10-8 win over Lawrence Tech in game 1, advancing to the winners bracket for a match with #1 seed Indiana Tech. The Warriors handed CUAA a 9-5 defeat in game 2.
Game 1 - #4 CUAA 10, #5 Lawrence Tech 8
Hunter Klaassen (SR/Michigan Center, MI) received the start on the mound for Concordia in game 1. Klaassen eliminated all 3 Lawrence Tech batters in the top of the 1st, making 1 of his 2 strikeouts on the day. The Cardinals got off to a good start with 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st as Blaine Milheim (JR/Eaton Rapids, MI) and Micah Oetting (SR/Concordia, MO) reached on singles. With 2 outs Jacob Maas (SR/Milan, MI) hit a 2-RBI single, and Maas would reach home later in the inning on a throwing error.
Lawrence Tech got a run back in the 2nd to cut the Concordia lead to 3-1. Neither team scored in the 3rd or 4th inning. The Blue Devils added another run in the top of the 5th to make it 3-2.
The game would get wild in the 7th inning. Lawrence Tech scored 5 runs including a grand slam to take what appeared to be a commanding 7-3 lead. However, the Cardinals fought right back with 7 runs in the bottom of the 7th. With the bases loaded Justin Mercer (JR/Howell, MI) hit a 2-RBI double scoring Ben Balgaard (SR/Fenton, MI) and Victor Diaz (JR/Guarenas, Venezuela ). Micah Oetting then hit a 2-RBI single scoring Justin Mercer and his brother Marshall Oetting (SR/Concordia, MO), and Will Harris (SR/Ann Arbor, MI) later crushed a 3-run homer. Concordia took a 10-7 lead after the 7th.
Lawrence Tech used a solo home run in the 8th to make it a 10-8 game, but that was the last scoring in the ballgame. Elijah Abenth (FR/Saginaw, MI) recorded the save for the Cardinals as he pitched the top of the 9th inning, allowing just one hit.
Game 2 - #1 Indiana Tech 9, #4 CUAA 5
Indiana Tech eliminated #5 seed Lawrence Tech with a dominant 28-0 win before facing the Cardinals in the final game of the evening. Concordia sent Grant Steinborn (SO/Flushing, MI) to the mound as the starter in game 2. The Cardinals threatened with 2 base runners in the 1st but did not score, and the Warriors pushed 1 run across in the bottom of the 1st.
Concordia tied the game in the top of the 2nd. Victor Diaz hit a lead-off double, Ben Balgaard singled to advance the runner, and Justin Mercer laid down a bunt to get Diaz home. The Warriors responded with 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd to go up 4-1.
The Cardinals pulled within 1 run in the 4th inning. Micah Oetting hit a bloop single which allowed both Justin Mercer and Blaine Milheim to score. The game remained 4-3 after the 5th inning.
The Indiana Tech bats showed some power in the bottom of the 6th, scoring 3 runs to make it a 7-3 game. Both teams traded solo home runs in the 7th inning with Jacob Maas smashing one for Concordia.
Indiana Tech added a run in the bottom of the 8th to go up 9-4. The Cardinals managed to add 1 run in the top of the 9th as Victor Diaz singled scoring Will Harris, but the Warriors hung on to claim a 9-5 win.
The Cardinals will face off against Indiana Tech again tomorrow at 3pm in a potential elimination game. If Concordia defeats Indiana Tech at 3pm, it would force another contest at 6pm to decide the winner of Pod #1.
