BOX SCORE

POSTGAME INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW BURNS

WATCH ARCHIVE BROADCAST OF THE GAME COURTESY OF K-MAC SPORTS

Austin, Texas – Junior Andrew Burns scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth on senior Matt McManemin's fourth hit-by-pitch of the game to lead the Concordia University Texas baseball team to a 10-9 victory over the Southwestern Pirates in the squad's 2012 season opener at Tornado Field on Friday, Feb. 3.

The Tornados (1-0) opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Burns' two-run triple plated Collin Janssen, who had singled, and Kyle Bieschke, who had walked. The Pirates (0-2) answered in the top half of the second inning by scoring six runs on four hits and benefiting from one Concordia error. 

In the bottom half of the third inning, the Tornados got three runs back after Janssen walked to start the inning.  Burns followed with a walk of his own.  Alec Carter then laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached second base when the Pirate third baseman threw wildly to first base. Janssen was able to come around and score while Burns moved over to third base on the play.  The next batter, Colton Gommert, drove home Burns with a groundout to second base to make it 6-5.

The Pirates scored two more runs in the top of the fifth inning and one more in the sixth to extend their lead back to four.  In the bottom half of the sixth inning, the Tornados tied the game up at nine by scoring four runs.  McManemin led off the inning by being hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a fielding error by the Pirate third baseman that also allowed Brent Schaekel to reach first safely.  Tyler Grygar advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and Bieschke followed by getting hit by a pitch.  Janssen would drive home two runs with a single through the left side before Burns singled up the middle.  Carter would then plate two with a double to tie the game at nine.

The teams would trade scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth before Concordia loaded the bases in the ninth, with one out, thanks to a Burns hit-by-pitch and walks to Gommert and Kyle Rodriguez.  That set up McManemin to take the first pitch he saw off his left leg, allowing the winning run to cross home plate.

Jacob Spelbring earned the victory for Concordia, making him 1-0 on the new season.  Spelbring threw two scoreless frames, striking out three and allowing only one hit.  Russell Kelly suffered the loss for the Pirates, making him 0-1.

The same teams will back at Tornado Field Saturday, Feb. 4 for a doubleheader with the first game set to begin at 1:00 p.m.