Larsen Kohler pitched three hitless innings for CU, striking out four
British Columbia Sweeps Concordia in Baseball Doubleheader
WEST LINN, Ore. – Concordia University had opportunities in the first game and stayed close until the end of the second contest as the Cavaliers dropped a pair of NAIA West decisions to 10th-ranked British Columbia, 2-1 and 7-2, Saturday at West Linn High School.
The losses dropped Concordia’s record to 6-15 overall and 2-8 in NAIA West play, while British Columbia improved to 14-6 overall and 10-1 in regional play. The teams will finish a four-game series with a doubleheader at West Linn H.S. on Sunday, with the first pitch of game one scheduled for noon.
British Columbia 2, Concordia 1
BOX SCORE
Sheldon McDonald stifled the CU bats over seven shutout innings, limiting the Cavaliers to six hits over that span as the T-Birds won the opening contest 2-1 despite being out-hit by CU 8-2. Tyson Kisselburg pitched six innings for CU, yielding one earned run on two hits, but the CU offense was unable to bring runners home as the Cavs stranded 11 runners in the contest.
British Columbia scored a run in each of the fifth and sixth innings, scoring on a Blake Carruthers home run in the fifth and taking advantage of a dropped fly ball to right to score an unearned run in the sixth. Concordia scored its only run of the game in the bottom of the eighth. The Cavaliers had runners at second and third with one out when Brady Miletich’s single scored a run and put the tying run 90 feet away from home plate. The Cavs would load the bases with one out, but CU would strand all three base runners, as they did in the sixth inning as well.
Larsen Kohler pitched the game’s final three innings for Concordia, shutting down the T-Birds while allowing only one base-runner on a walk with four strikeouts. Luke Webster came in to pitch for UBC with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth and pitched the T-Birds out of the jam before shutting the Cavs down in the ninth to earn the save.
British Columbia 7, Concordia 2
BOX SCORE
Game two looked a lot like game one until the T-Birds broke through for four runs in the top of the seventh. British Columbia took advantage of another dropped fly ball to right to score a pair of runs on two hits while leaving two more aboard. Concordia responded with a run in the bottom of the inning as Riley Tubbs hammered a home run over the left field wall to make it 2-1.
The game would remain 2-1 until the fifth inning, when UBC used three consecutive singles to tack on another run. British Columbia would follow that up with four more runs in the top of the seventh to put the game away. The T-Birds used three doubles, a single and a couple CU miscues to take a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Concordia had a final shot in the seventh inning as the UBC fielders struggled to make plays. A dropped pop up to third base gave CU a runner to start the inning, and a couple singles to the left side loaded the bases with one out. Tim Reavis hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home a run and make it 7-2, but that would be it for Concordia.
Eric Brown earned the complete-game for his seven-inning performance against CU, yielding one earned run on five hits with seven strikeouts. Josh Saio pitched five innings for Concordia, giving up two earned runs on six hits while taking the loss.