The #1 Concordia Eagles took one more step towards advancing out of the NAIA Pool Play round at the 2012 NAIA National Championship in Gulf Shores, AL, with a 8-2 win over #25 Bethany on Friday, May 18.

Tournament Results

Photo Gallery One - Two

On Friday, Amanda Fama fueled the Eagles with a third inning grand slam, her 26^th bomb of the year.  Concordia, now 2-0 in Pool A, plays #16 Brenau (Ga.) on Saturday at 6 p.m. CDT.  Bethany, now 0-2 in Pool A, plays Talladega (Ala.) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Fama went two-for-three on the day with five RBI and two runs scored.  Courtney Young started for CU and went four innings, giving up three hits and no runs, with no walks and two K's to improve to 12-0.  She lowered her season ERA to .95.  Swedes starter Hollind Englert allowed seven hits and eight runs and dropped to 16-3.  CU freshman Brittani McGue pitched the final three innings, allowing four hits and two runs, with four K's, to earn her third save in 2012.  Katie Carson and Jennifer Simons had two singles and a RBI each.  Alyssa Erickson and Emily Craig each had a hit, and Ashlee Leon had a hit and scored two runs.  The Eagles had nine hits as a team and stole one base in two attempts.  CU stranded five of their runners, but forced Bethany to leave 10 on the bags.

Carson led off the first with a single to left and was sacrificed to second.  She was put out on an inning-ending groundball double play.  Young allowed a one-out single, but escaped with two second base-to-shortstop put outs at second base.  CU went down 1-2-3 in the top of the second.  Bethany had two one with no out after a single and CU error.  They were both sacrificed over.  Young forced a pop out and strike out to end the inning.

Emily Craig singled with one out in the third inning.  Brieana Eckel came in to pinch run.  Leon reached on a fielder's choice and Eckel was safe on the Swede throwing error.  Carson singled in Eckel, and Leon and Carson took third and second on the throw.  Chanele Dresser walked, and Fama followed with a line drive grand slam over the centerfield wall to make it 5-0 Eagles.  Bethany College reached on a CU error with two out in the bottom half, but Young forced a third-out pop out.  Erickson singled with one out in the fourth, but was caught stealing second, and CU popped out in foul territory to end the inning.  Young allowed a leadoff single in the fourth, but got out with a 643 groundball double play.

Leon singled to lead off the fifth inning and went to second after Carson walked.  They were both sacrificed over a bag.  Fama laid down a perfect squeeze bunt and Leon beat the tag at home.  Fama took an unoccupied second base.  Jenna Jorgenson grounded out to first to make it 7-0 Eagles.  Simons singled to shallow left to plate Fama and make it 8-0 CU.  Concordia grounded out to end the inning. 

Concordia could not run-rule the Swedes, as the first two walked in the bottom of the fifth.  They both advanced on a wild pitch.  A single to left scored their first run of the game for Bethany, and the first run allowed by the Eagles in the tournament.  A passed ball saw both runners move up a bag.  McGue struck one out and forced a foul pop to third.  She loaded the bases with a walk, but struck the final batter out.  Craig walked to lead off the sixth, but was doubled off at first base after a line out to center.  Carson was hit by a pitch, stole second, and went to third on the bad throw.  A groundout ended the inning.  Bethany leadoff the sixth with a double to left.  Two fly outs, and a strikeout ended the threat.

Fama singled to lead off the seventh, and took second on a wild pitch with one out.  Simons singled to second to move Fama to third.  A pop out and line out ended the inning.  The Swedes knocked a one-out double to left in the seventh.  A single up the middle made it 8-2.  McGue forced a fly to center, walked one, and struck the final batter swinging to end the game.

Concordia improved to 56-3, while Bethany dropped to 44-9.   Concordia, now 2-0 in Pool A, plays #16 Brenau (Ga.) on Saturday at 6 p.m. CDT. Bethany, now 0-2 in Pool A, plays Talladega (Ala.) on Saturday at 1 p.m.