Panther Baseball Splits Buhler Doubleheader

For the first time this season, the Concordia Panther baseball team was defeated on their home field after a split with the Buhler Crusaders on Friday, May 8th. Buhler took game one 10-5 before Concordia bounced back to avoid the sweep and win 9-2.

Drake Blochlinger got the start on the mound for Concordia in game one. The Junior threw five innings without allowing a run, giving up only 3 hits and one walk while striking out 4. Brandon Vignery entered the game in the 6th and gave up 5 runs(4 earned) on 2 hits and 3 walks in one inning. Parker Jackson came in to pitch for Concordia in the top of the 7th and pitched two full innings, giving up 5 runs(4 earned) on 2 hits, 4 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Kale Schroeder came in for Concordia to get the final two outs with a pop-up, a strikeout, and a walk.

Concordia got the scoring started first in the bottom of the 2nd. Jackson singled to lead off the inning, and with two outs, remained at 3rd with Koehn Williams at first. On a double steal attempt, Jackson scored, and Williams was out to end the inning but gave Concordia the 1-0 lead.

The Panthers would add to their lead in the bottom of the 4th. Jackson once again singled, Blochlinger walked, and Chane Parker reached on an error to load the bases with only one out. Williams hit into another fielder's choice to score Jackson from 3rd. Then Kale Schroeder came through with a 2-out single into center field to score Braytin Hake and Williams to give Concordia the early 4-0 lead after 4 innings.

Buhler, with only 6 outs to work with, took the lead by scoring 5 runs against Vignery in the top of the 6th with a 2 RBI triple from Thetford. Concordia now trailed 5-4 going into the bottom of the 7th and running out of chances. Senior Rush LeDuc refused for the game to end with a lead-off triple, and just like that, the tying run was in scoring position with nobody out. LeDuc eventually came in to score on a wild pitch, and the game went to extra innings.

The score remained tied 5-5 until the top of the 9th, where the Crusaders scored 5 runs off of Jackson to win the contest and hand Concordia their first home loss of the year. Concordia scored 5 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. Ayden Krier finished the game going 2-4 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Kale Schroeder went 1-3 with the 2 RBI single in the 4th.

Freshman Gehrig Bechard got his first career varsity start and win on the mound for Concordia in game two. Bechard gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts in 5 innings of work. Ayden Krier came in the top of the 6th to close out the game and pitched two scoreless, hitless innings, walking 4 and striking out 5.

After trailing 1-0, the Panther bats came alive in the bottom of the 3rd to take a lead for good. Vignery singled to get the inning started, followed by a single from Boone Richard and then a 2 RBI single from Krier into right field that scored both baserunners. With two outs, Chane Parker then brought in Krier with a deep ball into right field for an RBI single to put Concordia up 3-1.

Concordia would add a run in the fourth, 4 runs in the fifth, and a run in the 6th to get the win. Concordia scored 9 runs on 11 hits and 6 walks. Boone Richard led the offense, going 2-4 with 4 RBI's. With two outs in the bottom of the 5th and the bases loaded, Richard hit a deep ball into the right field corner to clear the bases for Boone's third triple of the season and a big one in this second game. Krier once again went 2-4 with 2 RBI's.

Concordia with the split improves their overall record to 18-3 overall on the season and currently sits in second in the 4A West Regional, in position to host a substate at Lee Doyan Field here in Concordia. The Panthers return home on Monday, May 11th, to finish their already started game with Rock Creek. The game got started on Friday, April 10th, before the lights in Concordia wouldn't turn on, and the contest was postponed. Concordia enters the game trailing the Mustangs 3-1, going into the start of the bottom of the 4th, and Drake Blochlinger is due up at the plate.