Gameday Game Recap

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/3/06)-- Concordia freshman relief pitcher Matt Venturini did his best impersonation of a Secret Service agent on Wednesday as he stepped in front  of a bullet that would have killed the Cobbers' playoff hopes. His heroics helped Concordia pull out the 8-7, 5-2 sweep over St. Mary's in Moorhead, Minn. and remian in the hunt for one of the four spots in the conference tournament.

The pair of wins keeps Concordia's playoff hopes alive as they move to 10-8 in the conference which places them in fifth place in the league standings. The Cobbers will host Hamline, who is currently in fourth place, on Saturday in a series that will determine the fourth, and final, conference playoff berth. If Concordia sweeps the Pipers then they will hesd to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season and fifth in the past six years. If Hamline wins one of two on Saturday, they will earn a berth in the conference tournament for the first time in school history.

The wins also help push Concordia's overall record to 19-17, the first time they have been two games over the .500 mark since the first doubleheader of the year.

St. Mary's sees its season come to a close. The Cardinals end the year with a 2-18 record in league play and a 6-28 overall mark.

Venturini entered the game in the top of the seventh inning with the bases loaded, no one out and the game tied at 7-7. He promptly struck out the first batter he faced and then induced a textbook 6-4-3 double play to end the inning and save the Cobbers' playoff hopes in the process.

It took all of two batters in the bottom of the seventh inning for Concordia to win the game. Brian Schumacher led off with a single. Scott Halupczok followed with a double down the right field line after Schumacher had been sent in motion to start a hit-and-run play. Schumacher easily raced across the plate before the ball returned to the infield and Concordia had survived the season-ending scare.

The Cobbers carried the momentum into the second game, scored three runs in the first inning and received their fourth straight outstanding starting pitching performance as Kevin Engebretson held the Cardinals to only two runs and six hits to pick up the victory in the series sweep.

The first game was decided by a healthy wind that was blowing out to left field. Cobber junior Chris Klabo took advantage of the Wrigley-like breeze and lofted two home runs over the left field wall. He went 2-for-4 in the game with three runs scored and three RBIs. He now has a team-leading seven homers this year and 22 for his career.

The biggest long ball of the game for Concordia came in the bottom of the sixth inning when center fielder Ryan Emter connected on a ball that cleared the left field fence to give the Cobbers a much-needed insurance run and a 7-5 lead with one frame left.

That run would be the difference as St. Mary's stormed back in the top of the seventh to score two runs and tie the game at 7-7. It would have been worse for Concordia if not for the Tim McCarthy-like performance of Venturini.

In the opener, St. Mary's outhit Concordia 14-12 and did most of its damage in the final innings after Cobber starter Tieg Herman began to tire in the sixth inning. Entering the sixth, Herman had allowed only two runs and was forcing St. Mary's to pound the ball into the ground instead of lofting it into the homer-friendly wind. Of the first 15 outs in the game for the Cardinals, 13 were either the result of a strikeout or ground out. Herman was pulled in the sixth inning in favor of Brian Schumacher who entered the game and allowed five of the seven St. Mary's runs to cross the plate.

Four different Concordia players recorded a multiple-hit game in the opener. Billy DeNet, Emter and Klabo, the top three hitters in the Cobber lineup al had two hits and accounted for five of the team's eight runs scored in the game.

Engebretson followed Herman's lead in the second game by not allowing the Cardinals to hammer the ball into the air. He lasted all seven innings and struck out five on his way to picking up his third win of the year.

Concordia took control of the game in the first inning by scoring three runs on four hits including Halupczok's second consecutive double that scored one run.

Three different Concordia players had at least two hits in the second game as Concordia outhit the Cardinals 11-6. Brian Schumacher led the charge by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. Brian Knoblauch and Erick Sykora collected two hits apiece to stake the Cobbers to the win.

Denet went 1-for-2 in the nightcap and raised his season average to .400. In the last two games he is hitting .643 (9-for-14), He has hit safely in the past six games and 15 of the past 17.

Schumacher was 5-for-8 on the day with four runs scored. He upped his season average to .389.

Concordia will finish the regular season when they host Hamline in the playoff-style series on Saturday, May 6 at 1:00pm at the Jake Christiansen Athletic Complex.