Ver Steeg And Syverson Lead Sweep

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (3/10/20)---Seniors Austin Ver Steeg and Ty Syverson continue to show why they give the Cobbers one of the top starting pitching duos in the MIAC.   

Concordia's No.1-2 starters finished off the team's Florida preseason training trip by combining to pitch two complete games, allow only one run, five hits and struck out 15 in the Cobbers' 2-0, 4-1 sweep over Pitt.-Greensburg.

Ver Steeg threw a 7-inning masterpiece in the opener. He only allowed one hit, didn't walk a hitter and struck out six as he faced one batter over the minimum. If that wasn't enough, he also hit the game-winning 2-run home run to plate the only two runs of the game.

Syverson proceeded to take the ball in Game 2 and strike out nine while only allowing one run on four hits.         

The two pitching efforts helped the Cobbers leave Florida with a winning record. Concordia went 7-5 on their spring trip and swept two of the four doubleheaders they played.

GAME 1
The Ver Steeg show started early. He hit his second long ball of the trip in the top of the first inning to stake the Cobbers to a 2-0 lead after Andy Gravdahl opened the game with a single through the left side of the infield. Ver Steeg then went through the first seven batters in the Bearcats' lineup without allowing a base runner. Pitt.-Greensburg finally got someone on the base paths when a batter reached on an error in the bottom of the third.

The only other Bearcat to reach base would come in the fifth frame on a leadoff single to left field. That lone hit broke up the no-hitter but was quickly erased on a double play in the very next at-bat.

Ver Steeg finished the game by not allowing a runner past first base. He didn't play any favorites in ground ball or flyouts. Ver Steeg induced seven ground outs and had seven fly ball outs to go along with his six strikeouts.

The Cobbers came away with 10 hits in Game 1. Concordia could have built up a bigger lead as they had the bases loaded on four different at-bats over two innings and couldn't come up with a clutch hit. CC also had a runner thrown out at home plate in the fourth inning.

Concordia had seven different players with at least one hit in the opener. Gravdahl and Ver Steeg led the offense from the top of the lineup. Gravdahl went 3-for-4 from the No.1 spot and Ver Steeg was 2-for-4. Sean McGuire had the only other extra-base hit as he doubled to left field with one out in the fourth.

GAME 2
While the first game was won with a crooked number in the first inning, the second game was put away in the last Cobber at-bat in Florida.

With the score deadlocked at 1-1 heading into the sixth inning, the Cobbers scored three times to break the game open in the bottom half of the inning. The big hit of the inning was a 2-out triple off the bat of Brett Erickson which scored two runs and gave CC a 4-1 lead. The Cobbers took a 2-1 lead earlier in the frame when Max Boran's fly ball to the outfield was mishandled by the center fielder which allowed Mason Penske to score from second base.

Syverson didn't allow a run until the sixth inning. He only allowed one runner past first base in the first five innings and gave up only three hits before the Bearcats tied the game at 1-1 with a single hit in the sixth.

Syverson then shut the door in the seventh when he put up an RDO "Mow-'Em Down" inning in the seventh.

Concordia took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a Thomas Horan 2-out single up the middle that scored Boran from second base.

The Cobbers put up another 10-spot in the hitting column and outhit the Bearcats 10-4 in the finale.

Concordia had six players with a base hit in Game 2 with McGuire and Boran both having two hits each.

FLOIRDA STAT FACTS: Matt Gruber led Cobber regulars in hitting in Florida. He played in all 12 games and put up a .405 average. He also led the team in hits (17) and on-base percentage (.457). Austin Ver Steeg had a team-best 21 total bases and also led the team with a .553 slugging percentage.

Ver Steeg was 2-0 on the mound with a 2.00 earned run average. He struck out 18 batters in 18.0 innings pitched and opposing hitters had a .159 average against him. Syverson was 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA. He led the team in strikeouts as he fanned 23 batters in 17.0 innings. He only allowed one extra base hit and opposing batters hit .190.

Freshman Luke Levasseur led the CC relief corps. He had a team-best 1.23 ERA and struck out six in 7.1 innings of work.

UP NEXT: The Cobbers will have an 18-day break before starting the northern portion of their schedule. Concordia will face Hamline in the MIAC opener on Mar. 28 at 1 p.m. in St. Paul.