Box Score

TUCSON, Ariz. – Concordia University (Neb.) jumped out to a 10-3 lead and held on to defeat Southwest Minnesota State 10-8 in college baseball on Saturday morning at the Tucson Invitational held at the Kino Sports Complex.
 
SMSU (0-4) collected 12 hits in the game, but hit into five double plays and left 10 runners on base.
 
Nathan Kuhn and Tanner Strommen each collected three hits for the Mustangs, while Derek Smith added two hits and two RBIs.
 
SMSU had a great chance to take an early lead in the top of the first as Kuhn smacked a lead-off double and was followed by a walk to Strommen. SMSU would later have runners on second and third with one out, but a strikeout and fly out ended the threat.
 
CUNE (6-9) opened the scoring in the bottom of the second behind a pair of walks and three hits to plate three runs.
 
SMSU answered in the third as Derek Smith started the rally with a double and scored on an RBI single by Kuhn. Strommen followed with a single and Ben Heichel walked to load the bases. Jayden Fleck hit a sac fly to score Kuhn, but that was all the Mustangs could muster as an inning-ending double play kept the Bulldogs in front 3-2.
 
CUNE responded in a big way in the home half of the third with a two-run homer, a solo blast and a two-out, three-run home run to extend the lead to 9-2.  
 
SMSU loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth, but could only muster one run following a double play and fly out to cut the deficit to 9-3.
 
After the Bulldogs hits a solo homer in the fifth, SMSU answered back with a big five-run sixth. Connor Johnson and Robbie Smith started the inning with walks before Jake Hendricks stepped up and smacked an RBI single. Derek Smith followed with a two-run double to cut the deficit to 10-6. Fleck pushed across another run with a bases loaded walk, while Matt Bezdicek added a sac fly to pull the Mustangs to within 10-8 after six.
 
SMSU left two more runners on base in the seventh and then had two more on in the eighth with one out, but a double play ended the scoring threat.
 
Again in the ninth, Robbie Smith started with a single, but a strikeout and a game-ending double play ended SMSU's comeback attempt.
 
Jeremy Stouffer (0-1) got the start on the mound for SMSU and lasted two-plus innings giving up six runs on five hits with two walks. Spencer Rudnik was outstanding in relief to keep the Mustangs in the game as he tossed a career-high five innings with a career-high seven strikeouts, while allowing four runs on five hits.
 
Southwest Minnesota State will have Sunday off before returning to the field on Monday with a 5 p.m. CDT match-up versus Dordt College (Iowa).