A Joy-Jumping Sweep In The Home Opener

MOORHEAD, Minn. (3/30/26)---Concordia got a pair of starting pitching gems, timely hitting and an Edwin Diaz-like performance from Wyatt Mohr to post a 2-1, 6-2 sweep over St. John's in the home-opening doubleheader.

The pair of wins over the Johnnies mark the first time that the Cobbers have swept SJU since 2016 and it's the first home sweep over St. John's since 2013.

Dylan Inniger was the dominant force on the hill in the first game and Grant Anderson followed with a standout performance in Game 2. Both starting pitchers went 6.0 innings. Inniger didn't allow an earned run and only allowed three hits in the opener, while Anderson got the win in the nightcap by allowing only five hits and striking out five.

Mohr closed the door in both games to seal the victories. He pitched the final frame in Game 1 and retired the side after the Johnnies put the leadoff man aboard to start the seventh. He finished the day by tossing 3.0 innings in the second game, struck out three and didn't allow a run. Mohr earned his third win of the year in the opener and grabbed his second save in the nightcap.

First-year outfielder Alex Anderson came up with the hit of the day when he singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh in Game 1 to give the Cobbers the 2-1 win.

Concordia has now won three of its first four games to start conference play and is 8-9 overall. St. John's gets swept for the second straight day to open the MIAC schedule and is 9-10 in all games.

Game 1: Concordia 2, St. John's 1
Anderson delivered the offensive highlight of the game with his walkoff single in the bottom of the seventh and Inniger and Mohr provided the pitching spotlights as CC claimed a win in Game 1 for the second straight doubleheader.  

Inniger only allowed three hits and didn't concede an extra base knock as he lowered his ERA to 3.54. Mohr came on with no outs and a runner on first in the seventh, retired three straight batters and was credited with the win. He is now 3-0 on the season with a 0.75 ERA.

The Cobbers struck first in the third inning when Mason Henry singled to right field, driving in Drew Dorsey for a 1–0 lead. The game remained tight as both pitching staffs settled into the game.

St. John's tied the contest in the sixth inning, pushing across an unearned run following a pair of Concordia errors to knot the score at 1–1.

Concordia answered in the bottom of the seventh with timely hitting and pressure on the bases. Zack Ehnstrom opened the inning with a single, and after Dorsey drew a walk and Luke Knudsen reached on an error, Anderson delivered the decisive blow. Anderson lined a single to left field, scoring Ehnstrom to give the Cobbers the walkoff win.

Henry and Anderson each recorded an RBI for Concordia, while Ehnstrom and Wolfgram added base hits. The Cobbers totaled four hits in the contest and improved their conference record with the 2–1 win.

Game 2: Concordia 6, St. John's 2
Concordia jumped out early, never trailed and earned the 6–2 win to gain the doubleheader sweep.

The Cobbers struck quickly in the opening frame. After a two-out rally, Ben Shumansky roped an RBI single to bring home the game's first run, and Jack Primus followed with another RBI base hit to make it 2–0. Concordia added to the lead in the second inning when Anderson lined a two-run double into the left-center gap, scoring Dorsey and Knudsen to extend the advantage to four.

That early cushion was more than enough for Anderson, who delivered a strong outing on the mound. Anderson went six innings, allowing just two runs on five hits while striking out five to earn the win. Saint John's managed little offense through the first six innings, as Concordia's pitching and defense kept them off balance.

The Johnnies finally pushed across a pair of runs in the seventh on an RBI triple and double, but Concordia answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Shumansky picked up his second RBI of the day with a single, and pinch hitter Luke Van Erp added another run-scoring knock to put the Cobbers back in front 6–2.

Concordia outhit St. John's 12-8 in Game 2. Henry went 2-for-4 and scored twice, while Shumansky finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Primus and Van Erp also drove in runs, and Dorsey added two hits from the bottom of the lineup.

Mohr shut the door over the final three innings to earn the save, allowing just three hits and striking out three to secure the victory.

Concordia will look to continue its MIAC-opening success when they play at St. Olaf on Saturday, Apr. 4 at 1 p.m.