March 2, 2025

Cobber Split Opener In Florida

Box Score
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (3/02/25)---Concordia opened the 2025 season by splitting a pair of games against John Carroll in Winter Haven, Fla. on its annual spring training trip.
 
The Cobbers didn't commit an error and pounded out 15 hits in the two games as they split their first two games in the Sunshine State for the third time in the past four seasons. 
 
Concordia broke the bats out early in Game 1. They came up with 10 hits, including four extra-base knocks and a home run, in the opener on their way to an 8-7 win. 
 
The Cobbers couldn't match their offensive pop from Game 1 in the day's finale an lost 6-2.
 
Game 1
It was the Ben Shumansky show in the season opener as he went 2-for-4 with five RBI and clouted the team's first homer of the year. 
 
Concordia scored all its runs in the first, fifth and seventh innings. The Cobbers never trailed in the game as they scored two runs in the first, added a 5-spot in the fifth and tacked on the game-winning run in the top of seventh.
 
Shumansky brough in both of the runs in the first when he hit a 2-run homer to left field after senior Caiden Kjelstrom led off the season with a double. 
 
Shumansky then drove in three of the five runs in the fifth with a 1-out double that cleared the bases. Shumansky's 3-run double plated David Dorsey, Thomas Horan and Kjelstrom. 
 
Dorsey drove in the first run of the frame when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 
 
The other run of the fifth came courtesy of Nick Pederson who connected on a 2-out single that drove in Shumansky, 
 
The Cobbers won the game in the seventh when freshman Brayden Wolfgram came through with his first collegiate RBI. He had an infield single that scored Drew Dorsey. 
 
Pederson, Drew Dorsey and Shumansky were the only CC players with more than one hit in the opener. 
 
Jacoby Nold got the start on the mound and went 4.0 innings to earn the win. He allowed three hits and three runs and struck out six. Kyle Cluff pitched the final 1.1 innings to collect his third career save. 
 
Game 2
Concordia scored both of its runs in Game 2 in the fifth inning. The Blue Streaks took the lead with a 4-run second frame and then plated a single run in the fourth and seventh innings. 
 
Thomas Horan singled home Zack Ehnstrom for the first run and then Shumansky capped his 6-RBI day with a walk with the bases loaded.  
 
The Cobbers were outhit 8-5 in Game 2. CC had five different players get a single hit in the game. 
 
Alex Rudquist and J Riley Ohm split the pitching duties. Rudquist went the first 5.0 innings and allowed five runs on six hits while Ohm struck out three in the final two innings.
 
Concordia will have a single game on Monday, Mar. 3 when they play St. Vincent at 1 p.m.