MITCHELL, S.D. — Dakota Wesleyan Baseball hosted the RV Concordia (Neb.) Bulldogs for the first doubleheader of their four-game stretch, with the next doubleheader set for this coming Sunday.
The first contest of the day would see Dexter Payne get the start on the mound while slotting in fifth in the lineup, recording six total strikeouts in his four innings pitched. Even with a solid performance, however, Concordia was able to capitalize with consistent scoring across the board, opening the game with a run in the top of the first on a bases-loaded walk. Payne responded in the bottom of the frame with a single to right field that would get Talan Ball across home plate, but it would be Dakota Wesleyan's lone scored run of the first game. The 1-1 tied score would shift back to a CUNE lead at the top of the second with an RBI single, and the Bulldogs would not look back, eventually putting up a total of 10 runs throughout the course of the game. The Tigers would get runners into scoring position in both the fifth and sixth innings thanks to big hits from Tommy Dutton and Kelbee Woodham, but no more runs were put up for the home team as the Bulldog defense and pitching staff were able to prevent DWU from building any further offensive momentum. Broc Berry and Colton Thomas made appearances in relief on the mound. Concordia claimed game one by a score of 10-1.
Game two of the day got out to a slower start, with Brayden Cherrey and Concordia's Micah Sweeton both putting up solid starts that lasted through five innings. Cherrey recorded four strikeouts against 24 faced batters and was able to settle in after giving up his first run in the second inning, recording scoreless frames in the third and fourth to keep Dakota Wesleyan in stride with the nationally-acclaimed Bulldogs. A triple to left-center field from Caleb Meyers in the bottom of the third got Lane Darrow across home plate to tie the contest up at 1-1, but the Bulldogs would pull through in the top of the fifth to reclaim the lead by adding two more runs to the board. In relief, Dakota Munger pitched a stout 1.2 innings as the Tigers were working to flip momentum back in their own favor, which would occur in the bottom of the sixth when Ball would slam a home run past the left-field wall to tie the contest up at 3-3. Tying it back up was not enough for the DWU offense, however, as Darrow would send another ball into play down the right-field line with bases loaded to bring in three RBIs and record a triple, giving the Tigers a 6-3 lead. A Concordia two-RBI home run in the final inning brought the score to 6-5, but Nate Huisken would slam the door shut on CUNE's comeback by forcing a lineout and securing the save and team victory. The win in game two was Dakota Wesleyan's first recorded win over Concordia in baseball since the 2021 season. Overall, the Tigers now sit at 17-22 and hold an 8-14 conference record.
DWU Baseball will be back in action for Senior Day against Concordia at Drake Field starting at 1:00 PM, with festivities taking place between games. See the full 2026 schedule here.