The Concordia baseball team has been making history this season.
The Bulldogs' historic run will continue at the NAIA College World Series.
No. 19 Concordia blasted three home runs in the eighth inning to erase a two-run deficit and defeat Bellevue 7-5 in the Bellevue Regional final Thursday in Omaha.
Concordia, which was playing in its first regional final, will now play in its first College World Series.
Concordia (42-10) trailed 4-1 early, then 5-3 when Keaton Candor led off the eighth with a home run. Three batters later, Jakob Faulk gave the Bulldogs their first lead with a two-run blast, and Teyt Johnson made it back-to-back with a homer to right field.
Five Concordia relievers combined to limit the Bruins to just one run on six hits over the final 5 2/3 innings. Nathan Buckallew (4-0) earned the win.
People are also reading…
“I’ve never made it this far and I’ve been here for four years now,†Candor said. “It’s extra special because you’re doing it for the guy next to you. Doing it on the big stage is where we want to succeed the most … We didn’t take the easy way getting to this point, but it’s definitely been worth it. I think tournament time a different team has come out than what we showed in the conference.â€
Concordia, which has hit 89 homers this year, got three hits from Candor, and Faulk was 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
Concordia added to its school record for wins (42).
Bellevue (41-18) defeated Concordia on Tuesday before the Bulldogs won their next three games, including two against the Bruins.