Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University hosted No. 17 Concordia University in a Great Plains Athletics Conference (GPAC) doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Historic Moller Field in Fremont. The Warriors and Bulldogs split the opening games of their four-game, two-city weekend series, as Midland took an 8-2 victory in game one, and Concordia came away with a 13-3 win in game two.
GAME ONE: Midland 8, Concordia 2
After three scoreless innings, Joshua Hardamon ignited the Warriors’ offense in the 4th inning with a powerful double to left-center field. Following suit, Haydn Crawford delivered a single, advancing Hardamon to third base. Alec Villanueva drew a walk to load the bases and Connor Petersen came through with a single, to bring home Hardamon, Crawford, and Villanueva after an error by the Bulldogs.
Concordia ended its scoring drought in the top of the 5th inning with a walk, a triple, and a groundout to plate a pair of runs.
The Warriors wasted no time in responding as Jacob Liquori kickstarted the bottom half of the 5th with a single. Hardamon was struck by a pitch, and Trystan Mills came in to pinch runner. Deven Gomez continued the offensive surge with a single, to load the bases. A balk called on the Bulldogs’ pitcher advanced the runners, allowing Liquori to score. Alec Villanueva followed with a double to right field, bringing home Gomez and Mills, extending the lead to 6-2.
The momentum carried into the 6th inning as Tyler Struck was hit by a pitch to lead off. As Ben Kirkland came in as a courtesy runner, he advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Kirkland then put pressure on the Bulldogs as he stole third and then made his way to the plate as the throw from the catcher sailed past the fielder for an error. The inning continued as Hardamon reached on a single and then stole second base. Another throwing error by the Bulldogs advanced him to third. After Crawford earned a walk, Deven Gomez delivered with a single, scoring Hardamon to widen Midland’s lead to 8-2.
Zachary Vincent, who pitched a great game on the mound, came on in the 7th to seal the victory for the Warriors, shutting down the Bulldogs’ offense and registering the first complete game of the season by a Warriors pitcher. Vincent’s performance over the 7.0 innings saw just 2 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks while striking out 4 batters.
Statistical Standouts
- Joshua Hardamon: 3-for-3, 2 R, 2B, SB
- Jacob Liquori: 1-for-3, R, BB, SB
- Deven Gomez: 2-for-4, R, RBI
- Alec Villanueva: 2-for-2, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2B
- Connor Petersen: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, BB
- Zachary Vincent: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 K
GAME TWO: Concordia 13, Midland 3
Concordia surged ahead early, seizing a 2-0 lead in the opening inning with consecutive singles followed by a double.
After a quiet opening inning for the Warriors, Hadyn Crawford was hit by a pitch to begin the 2nd inning. Christopher Ortega‘s single advanced Crawford to third base and Dax Wandler doubled to bring Crawford in to score.
As the teams were held scoreless in the third inning, the Bulldogs widened the gap with seven runs on five hits with three wild pitches to extend their lead to 9-1. Concordia maintained their momentum in the 5th inning, adding two more runs for a commanding 11-1 advantage.
Needing to get the offense going, Wandler kickstarted the Warriors’ 7th with a triple down the right side. Sotero Ureno followed with an RBI single, to bring the deficit back to single digits.
Following a scoreless 8th, the Bulldogs continued to build on their lead in with two additional runs to make it a 13-2 advantage.
Trystan Mills and Wandler drew back-to-back one-out walks as the Warriors looked to spark a rally. They could only manage to bring in one run as Nathaniel Reyes hit a two-out double to score Mills. Concordia induced a pop-out to end the game and secure its 13-3 win.
Statistical Standouts
- Hadyn Crawford: 2-for-3, R
- Dax Wandler: 2-for-3, R, RBI, BB, 2B, 3B
- Sotero Ureno: 1-for-1, RBI
- Nathaniel Reyes: 1-for-1, RBI, 2B
“It felt good to get a good win against a very good Concordia team that we have struggled with in the past,” commented head coach Shea Bennett. “Our guys know that if they play ‘Midland Baseball’ they can beat anyone. We have to be more consistent and keep cleaning things up mentally. A lot to accomplish still. Good things are coming.”
Midland (22-10, 8-6 GPAC) will finish its weekend series with Concordia (26-9, 10-4 GPAC) tomorrow in Seward, Nebraska. First pitch of the conference doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Plum Creek Park.
