SEWARD, Neb. – Midland University baseball head coach Chad Miller picked up his 400th career win in game one of Sundays Great Plains Athletic Conference doubleheader versus No. 24 Concordia University. The Warriors rebounded from Saturdays losses with a 15-8 statement win in game one on Sunday
Game One: Midland 15, No. 24 Concordia 8
Midland got on board in the first inning with an RBI groundout by Sam Braun, but the second inning was when the game broke open. The Warriors exploded for seven runs which kicked off via a two-RBI single off the bat of Maddux Miyasoto. An error on the Bulldogs moved a pair of runners into scoring position for Chase Reynolds who sent a liner to right field for a double, clearing the bases for a 5-0 lead. Concordias pitcher continued to struggle with control, hitting a batter and walking Matt Abdelnour to get another two runners aboard. The final two runs of the inning came off a grounder by Brendon Jones and a double from Dakota Thorton, giving Midland an 8-0 advantage through two innings.
Concordia got one back in the bottom of the inning after a two-out single found the fence and scored a runner from third. Midlands starting pitcher James Scurto got out of trouble as he forced a fly out to end the inning. The Bulldogs brought the score to 8-2 in the third by way of three-consecutive singles, but Scurto battled back to get a pair of outs. Two more runs crossed home plate in the inning off a double to right field, but a solid relay home caught a third runner attempting to score and ended the inning with Midland up 8-4.
The fourth and fifth innings went by without much going for either side, but the Warriors struck again in the top of the sixth. Reynolds started things with a one-out double to centerfield, and he advanced to third on a wild pitch. Reynolds would score on another wild pitch moments later to give Midland the 9-4 edge. Concordia answered in the bottom of the inning with three runs, narrowing the Warrior lead to 9-7.
Midland added insurance to the lead in the seventh as a double and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Harold Urban. Urban took one for the team, shouldering a pitch to score Sam Braun from third. Connor Peterson wanted to get in on the hit-by-pitch action as the freshman was hit and scored Tyler Foster. The Bulldogs managed to pick up a bases-loaded strikeout, but Reynolds followed that up with a line-drive single to left which plated another two runs. The final two runs of the inning came off a single from Abdelnour and a sacrifice fly by Braun extended the lead to 15-7.
Concordia got one back in the bottom of the seventh, but Midlands Brendon Jones closed the door with a flyout and fielders choice groundout to secure a 15-8 Midland win. Concordia outhit Midland 13-10 in the ballgame, but the Bulldogs defense struggled, committing five errors compared to zero for the Warriors.
Statistical Leaders:
- Chase Reynolds: 3-of-4, 4 RBI, 4 runs, 2 2B
- Sam Braun: 1-of-3, 2 RBI, 1 run, 1 BB, 1 2B
- Dakota Thorton: 1-of-2, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1 2B, 1 BB
- James Scurto: 5.1 IP, 7 ER, 6 K
- Brendon Jones: 1.2 IP, 1 ER
Game Two: No. 24 Concordia 11, Midland 0
Concordia came roaring back in the series finale, topping Midland by a score of 11-0. The first two innings were quiet as neither team could string together any offensive surge. The Bulldogs had enough of the waiting around in the bottom of the third as a single plated the games first run. The next batter up scorched a home run over the centerfield fence to extend the lead to 4-0. Midlands starter Brendon Jones managed to get out of the inning with a strikeout and a pair of flyouts.
The Bulldogs tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning which was all sparked by a one-out triple to left field. A ground ball single plated the runner on third, and the second homer of the ballgame brought everyone home to give Concordia a 7-0 advantage. Another four-run inning, this time in the bottom of the fifth, brought Concordias lead to 11-0. The lead was too much to overcome as the Warriors fell in seven frames.
Despite falling off track offensively, the Midland defense put together another solid outing. The Warriors were errorless for the second-straight game while the Bulldogs totaled eight errors on the day.
Statistical Leaders:
- Connor Peterson: 1-of-1
- Tyler Foster: 1-of-1
- Brendon Jones: 4.0 IP, 9 hits, 7 ER, 3 K
Up Next
Midland (11-12, 1-3 GPAC) will face (RV) Bellevue University for a nonconference weekday matchup on Tuesday, March 24 in Omaha. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m. The two teams faced in a series that was played on October 14 and 20 at Moller Field. Bellevue took game one by a score of 2-0 while Midland claimed game two in 3-0 fashion.
