IRVINE, Calif. — Concordia baseball (12-15, 7-5 PWC) hosted Point Loma (19-10, 7-4 PWC) at Eagles field for the latter end of a PacWest four-game doubleheader. The 2018 PacWest runner-up PLNU took game one 12-0 but CUI fought back in the nightcap to earn the win 7-1 and split the series. In each of the doubleheaders, the Green and Gold secured a victory in game two.
Game One: Point Loma 12, Concordia 0
Point Loma silenced the Eagles offense in game one, but not shortstop Haloa Dudoit. The junior went 3-for-4 and started with a single up the middle in the first inning. Dudoit knocked two more base hits in the fifth and seventh innings to right field. Bailey Collins and Chris Martin II also singled to right center field and right field, respectively. Two singles up the middle by Nick Grimes rounded out the eight total hits for Concordia.
Game Two: Concordia 7, Point Loma 1
The Eagles improved to 12 hits in game two, still led by the consistency of Dudoit in the batter's box. The Wailuku, Hawai'i native continued to hit and went 2-for-4 in the nightcap. Third baseman Nick Grimes was one behind Dudoit in the hit category on the day. The senior went 2-for-3 in game two and Jair Donovan went 3-for-4. Outfielder Matt Lautz was 2-for-2 after two perfectly laid bunts for base hits. Designated hitter Cooper Moore also went 2-for-2 with a single that scored two in the fifth and a sacrifice fly to score one.
Carl Turner entered the first game as a pinch-hitter and continued in the lineup through the second game in left field. The junior came up clutch in the fourth with a base hit up the middle that scored two runs of a four-run fourth inning.
Saturday was a day for Eagles defense in many ways. Lautz showed out in center field with a couple diving plays to save base hits as well as a fence-smacking play to rob what could've been a triple. Grimes picked multiple hops at the hot corner and threw missiles to Collins at first base. In the seventh inning, Turner covered ground quickly and laid out by the left field line to steal another base hit from Point Loma.
"Great defense is definitely contagious," Dudoit said. "It always starts with a pitcher but when you have a defense working behind and for their pitcher, he has a little more confidence to throw strikes and not worry about anything else because he knows that we have his back."
Mike Killeen started on the mound for Concordia and totaled 3.2 innings pitched, three hits, no runs, and two strikeouts. Ren Martin (1-0) earned his first win of the season from his appearance on Saturday out of the pen. The junior threw three innings and allowed two hits, one run, and fanned two Sea Lions.
"In this game, you have to have a short memory. You have to forget about what you did on defense or the last at-bat or the game before and just take it one pitch at a time," Dudoit said. "Thats what we did today and yesterday, and thats why we were able to get the result in both game twos."
On Deck
Eagles Baseball heads north for another four-game PacWest series at Fresno Pacific. The games are scheduled for Friday Mar. 29 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Follow the action HERE.
