AUSTIN — The Concordia Tornados got great production from the middle of their lineup to defeat the Southwestern baseball team 8-4 in the first game of a doubleheader. 

After a brief weather-related delay, Southwestern got to a quick start, finding success off Concordia starting pitcher David Matthews with three runs scored on four hits and three walks in the first three innings. 

Ted Lobkowicz opened the game with a leadoff double. The Pirate offense stalled momentarily with two consecutive outs, but a wild pitch moved Lobkowicz into scoring position, and Bryce Debbs capitalized with an RBI single to center field. 

Lobkowicz drew another walk to start the top of the third, and Maxwell Mims followed by getting hit by a pitch. Daniel Montgomery Jr., batting in the third spot, scored Lobkowicz with a double down the left-field line. After Debbs went down swinging, Lance Kruse walked to load the bases. The Pirates added another run on a Landon Durdin RBI-single to right field to take a 3-0 lead but left three stranded with two consecutive outs. 

Concordia got to Southwestern starting pitcher Aaron Clark in the bottom of the third. Corbin Cross hit a one-out single up the middle to get the Tornados started, and Grayson Lee drove him in with an RBI triple to left-center. Owen Hill drew a walk to put runners in the corners, and EJ Sanchez singled through the right side, scoring Lee. 

Clark struggled with control through the next two batters, hitting Marcus Thach to loaded the bases, then walking Ryan Clouse to score Hill. Southwestern gifted Concordia another run with a fielding error before Clark got out of the inning with back-to-back strikeouts after the Tornados took a 4-3 lead. 

Calvin Bush replaced Matthews on the mound for Concordia to start the fourth, getting off to a shaky start by surrendering a single, hit batter, walk, and a wild pitch that scored a run for Southwestern to tie the game. 

An error cost the Pirates again in the bottom of the fourth, allowing Lee to score an unearned run with two outs to give Concordia the lead once more. 

Cameron Whitman replaced Bush on the mound for Concordia to start the fifth and retired the side while the Tornados added another run with two outs on a Dalton Watts RBI single to end Clark's afternoon. Cole Johnson replaced him and surrendered an RBI-double to Bret Leiferman before getting out of the inning. 

The Tornados added another run in the bottom of the sixth on a Mason Dubois RBI-single to the pitcher, and Hayden Schroeder closed out the final two innings for Concordia. 

Leiferman, Cross, and Lee hit a combined 6-for-12 from the 3-4-5 spots in the Concordia lineup, driving in two RBIs and scoring three runs. 

Lobkowicz, Montgomery, Debs, Kruse, and Durdin each had one hit for the Pirates, facing the second-stingiest pitching staff in the American Southwest Conference. 

Southwestern drops to 18-16 while Concordia improves to 17-10 after the first seven-inning game of the evening's doubleheader.