SEWARD, Neb. – With the arrival of warmer weather and longer nights, the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team headed south to battle conference foe (RV) Concordia University in its 2022 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) opener on Saturday afternoon from Plum Creek Park in Seward, Neb. A slugfest in game one, Concordia defended home turf with a 20-10 victory and collected the sweep via an 18-3 win in game two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Dakota Wesleyan offense initiated its momentum at the plate in the first two innings of game one and grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the middle of the second inning. Seth Christiansen registered a timely knock to right field to score Kalub Carmichael while DWU tallied 12 hits in the opening affair. Concordia, however; escaped the frame with a 4-3, unassisted double play after a base-on balls by Bradley Dean.
Taking charge in the hitter's box, Concordia erupted for a game-high 13 runs in the second stanza. The Bulldogs (13-6-1, 2-0 GPAC), fresh of a share of the GPAC regular-season title in 2021, belted a trio of homeruns in the inning; including a two-run shot by Jesse Garcia who punched a team-high four RBIs. CUNE raked in 17 hits in the contest and led 18-2 through four complete innings.
Senior Carter Gullickson provided the Tigers (5-8, 0-2 GPAC) with a spark in the fifth stanza as the Dell Rapids, S.D., native notched an RBI single to left field. The Blue and Gray executed seven runs on six hits in the frame while Daulton Wilcoxen fed off the energy with a double to the right field fence. Cameron Quigley, who paced Dakota Wesleyan with four hits, plated two more runs, though Concordia still maintained the 18-9 benefit to start the sixth inning.
Luke LeMay also chipped in multiple hits paired with two RBIs including a single to center field which scored Matt Bezdicek in the sixth frame. Regardless, the Bulldogs claimed the double-digit victory in the doubleheader opener. Bezdicek and Quigley secured a pair of doubles each as five different Tigers reached via base-on balls.
Quigley, the 5-foot-9, senior outfielder from Newcastle, Wyo., continued his strong day at the plate with a walk to commence game two. Meanwhile, a Bezdicek single in the third inning plated a pair of Tiger runs as the Plymouth, Minn., native leads DWU with 13 RBIs on the season. Concordia held the advantage, 16-2, nevertheless through four complete frames.
The Bulldogs ultimately earned the 18-3 win for the series sweep and claimed their sixth win through their last eight outings. Bezdicek led the charge at the plate in the series finale with a 2-of-3 performance along with multiple RBIs on two hits. Gullickson and Trayven Boellstorff also knocked through hits, and Dakota Wesleyan struck eight total hits in the game two finale.
UP NEXT
DWU and head coach Charlie Dubanoski face a quick turnaround with another conference doubleheader against in-state rival and conference foe Mount Marty University tomorrow with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. from Bob Tereshinski Stadium in Yankton, S.D.