The Northwestern Red Raider baseball team dropped three out of four games against the Concordia University Bulldogs on March 24 and 25 at Plum Creek Ballpark in Seward, Nebraska. The Raiders hung with the Bulldogs for the first three games, but they came up short each time. The Raiders were on the losing end of a 3-4 score in the first two games and started their doubleheader the following night with a 5-7 loss. However, the Raiders showed a lot of grit during the fourth game of the series, rallying back from a 4-12 deficit to win 14-13.
“Overall, I think the team played well, and even though we only went 1-3, we were right there in every game,” said junior Isaac Thurm. “In each of the first three games, we hung in with a really good team, and the outcome could have gone either way.”
Unfortunately, the initial three games all ended in heartbreak for the Raiders. In game one, a NW rally in the top of the seventh inning fell short and Concordia won games two and three in walk-off fashion.
In game four, the Raiders found themselves down by eight runs in the eighth inning. Plenty of teams would have folded and quit in this situation, but the Raiders kept fighting.
“A lot of teams would have given up in game four, but we took things one at-bat at a time and it panned out for us,” said Thurm.
Senior Jaden Snyder got the scoring started in the top of the eighth inning with a double to center field that scored sophomore Mo Watson. After Snyder’s crucial hit, the Raiders exploded for eight more runs in the inning and Watson gave the Raiders a 13-12 lead after a two-run home run. The Bulldogs scored one run in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game, but the Raiders took the lead for good after a walk by Thurm scored Snyder. Then, freshman Colton Schuchart finished off the Bulldogs in the bottom of the ninth to secure his first win on the mound and a 14-13 victory for the Raiders.
The win put the Raiders at an 11-13 overall record and a 3-5 record in the GPAC Conference, they look to use their latest win to build some momentum for the rest of the season.
“Going into more GPAC play, we just need to keep the energy and feed off of our final game of the weekend,” said Thurm. “We have a great staff, and they have the potential to get us a lot of wins going forward in the conference season.” 
