CU reliever Shayne Nakata earned the win against Linfield on Wednesday.
Cavs' Bullpen Shuts Down No. 15 Linfield in 6-2 Win
BOX SCORE
MCMINNVILLE, ORE.—Behind an early burst of offense and spotless relief pitching, the Concordia baseball team topped No. 15 Linfield 6-2 on Wednesday.
Concordia (16-13) took control of the game early, scoring five runs in the first two innings for a quick 5-0 lead. The Cavaliers pitching then took over from there, shutting out Linfield (13-7) over the final six innings.
Shayne Nakata provided the bulk of the work from the bullpen, pitching the last four innings of the game for the Cavs to earn the win, while giving up only two hits and a walk.
Nakata and the rest of the Cavs’ pitchers had the luxury of working with a lead however, thanks to a two-run top of the first from their offense. The Cavalier batters loaded the bases with only one out in the top of the first, before a sacrifice fly from Sean Myrom opened the scoring for the Cavs. After that, Carl Beckert singled through the right side of the infield to give the Cavs a 2-0 lead.
Concordia then rallied with two outs in the top of the second to add three more runs to its early lead. Mike Cero opened the scoring in the inning with a single up the middle that scored Ryan Rodriguez from third, while moving teammate Calvin Nagy up a base from second. Now with runners on first and third, the Cavs executed a rare double steal that put Cero on second and brought Nagy home. From there, Jared Young singled to left to move Cero to third, before the Wildcats misplayed a ball from Myrom that extended the inning and brought Cero home.
Linfield cut into the Cavs lead with two runs in the third, but the Cavalier staff shut down the Wildcats from there.
The game also featured the first varsity appearance of senior Gage Aker. Aker pitched the fourth and fifth innings for the Cavs, holding the Wildcats hitless, while facing just seven batters between the two innings.
Finally, the Cavalier offense tacked on a final insurance run in the eighth after Myrom opened the inning with an infield single. Cameron Baker pinch ran for Myrom at first after that and moved to second one batter later on a sacrifice from Beckert. An error moved Baker to third later in the inning, while a sacrifice fly to left from Nathan Douglas brought Baker home.
The Cavaliers’ scored their six runs on only five hits, though they also drew five walks in the game. Both teams’ offenses were hampered at times from intermittent rain showers that produced wet conditions on the field.
Individually, Cero led the offense, going 1-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Concordia will next host a four-game series against No. 22 The College of Idaho over the weekend. The Cavaliers will open the series on Saturday, March 31 with a doubleheader slated for 2 p.m. The series will then conclude with another doubleheader on Sunday, April 1 at 11 a.m.