Baseball Grills Grinnell

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Concordia University Wisconsin baseball team continued its spring campaign with a trip to Florida for the 2025 Pensacola Challenge.

On Friday, the Falcons defeated Grinnell College, 12-5 to improve to 6-5 on the year.

Grinnell took a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, but Concordia's offense exploded in the bottom half of the frame, scoring six runs to seize control of the game.

The Falcons capitalized on an error by the Pioneers, which allowed two unearned runs to score. Senior Jack Owens (Chicago, Ill.) followed with a two-RBI double, and freshman Graham Kasten (Mequon, Wis.) added a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing Owens home from third. Senior Brynden Cleveland (Crestwood, Ill.) capped the inning with a double into the gap, scoring the Falcons' sixth and final run of the inning.

Grinnell responded with two runs in the top of the fifth to close the gap to 6-5, but the Falcons' defense held strong the rest of the way. Concordia's offense continued to add insurance runs, scoring three in both the sixth and seventh innings.

In the sixth, Cleveland tripled to bring in Jack Owens and sophomore Alex Ames (Plymouth, Wis.) from second and third. In the next at-bat, sophomore Connor Lasch (Chicago, Ill.) also tripled, scoring Cleveland from first.

The seventh inning saw senior Tyler Brandenburg (Saukville, Wis.) double to lead off, followed by a walk to freshman Colyn Lesilla (Germantown, Wis.). With the bases loaded, Owens was hit by a pitch to bring in one run. Kasten followed by drawing a walk for another RBI, and Lasch singled to score another run. Senior Josh Aguiniga (Chicago, Ill.) was then plunked with the bases loaded, pushing across the final run for Concordia's 12-5 victory.

As a team, the Falcons' pitching staff recorded 11 strikeouts and walked just three batters. In contrast, the Pioneers struck out only six and walked seven.

Cleveland delivered another strong performance, recording two hits, three RBIs, and five total bases. Owens, Kasten, and Lasch all contributed with two runs each.

On the mound, sophomore Alex Kuntz (Richfield, Wis.) earned the start and tossed three solid innings, allowing just one run while striking out seven. Senior Jack Hribernik (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) picked up his first win of the season, going 2.2 innings, while senior Owen Burns (Morris, Ill.) earned his second save of the year, pitching 3.1 shutout innings, striking out three.

The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday, facing LeTourneau at 2 p.m. in Florida.