GEORGETOWN, Texas — Concordia rocked Southwestern baseball for four runs in the first inning and never let up, defeating the Pirates 12-2. 

Southwestern starting pitcher Trey Dees surrendered four consecutive hits, including an RBI infield single and a pair of RBI doubles, before recording the first out of the game. Concordia added another run on a sacrifice bunt to take a 4-0 lead after the first inning. 

The Pirates cut that deficit in half in the third inning, loading the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk to open the inning, then scoring on a Lance Kruse fielder's choice RBI and another run on an error. 

Dees settled down after his rough first inning, holding Concordia scoreless over the next three innings by retiring nine of the next 11 batters he faced. He finished his night with four innings pitched, giving up four runs with three earned off four hits with three walks and five strikeouts. 

Bryan Meissner took the mound for Southwestern to start the fifth and struggled early with his control, walking the first batter he faced and hitting the second, setting the stage for back-to-back RBI groundouts to put Concordia up 6-2. 

Aaron Clark relieved Meissner to start the seventh, walking two and hitting another to load the bases with one out. Concordia followed with another RBI groundout, then scored on a wild pitch, then got an RBI-single through the left side for the 9-2 lead.

Concordia added another three runs in the eighth, loading the bases and scoring with four consecutive walks to start the inning, followed by two RBI-singles. Southwestern walked 12 batters and hit two. The Pirates only had a pair of hits, getting one each from Bryce Debbs and Caleb Henry. 

Southwestern dropped to 2-8 with the loss. Baseball will open conference play this weekend with a three-game series hosting St. Thomas, starting Friday, March 19, at 6:00 p.m.