Concordia-St. Paul (18-6, 7-2 NSIC) got three home runs in game one in a 5-2 come-from-behind victory and used an eight-run fifth inning to power their way past Winona State (14-18, 7-8 NSIC) 15-4 in game two. Pitchers Eric Utoft and Geoff Bray each earned victories, giving the tandem a combined 11-0 record.
Concordia fell behind the Warriors 1-0 in the first inning of game one, as WSU scored an unearned run with two outs. Utoft settled into a groove after the first, allowing Erik Quarberg to tie the score in the top of the third with a RBI single through the left side, driving in Jon Schemmel, who led off the inning with a single to right center and a stolen base.
The Bears took their first lead in the fifth when Quarberg smashed a solo shot to left field, his fifth of the season.
The Warriors tied the score in the bottom of the sixth with D. Zwack's solo homerun.
Galen Wetzell led off the top of the seventh with a walk and stole second base to get into scoring position for Schemmel. The steal didn't matter, as Schemmel blasted a two-run homer to left field to put CU back up by two runs. It was Schemmel's second home run of the season. Chris Duda made it back-to-back for the Bears, as he hit his fourth home run of the season over the right-center field wall.
That was all Utoft needed to secure his sixth win of the year, as he pitched fourth complete game of the season. He lowered his ERA to 3.49, surrendering just one earned run and giving up five hits while striking out four.
The Warriors jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game two, scoring two runs in the second and third innings to take control of the game.
But the Concordia bats came alive in the fourth inning, as Tony Boxwell's double to right center drove in Bobby Meier. The Bears scored their second run as Boxwell and Mason Reinhart executed a double steal. Boxwell swiped home while Reinhart stole second. They added one more in the inning to cut the deficit to 4-3.
While the Bears used the long ball to win game one and strategic base running to get on the board in the fourth inning of game two, they used patience in the fifth inning to blow the game open. The Bears drew five walks and were hit by two pitches in the inning. The patience, combined with timely hitting, allowed CU to put up eight runs in the inning to take an 11-4 lead.
In the seventh inning, Concordia used the patience strategy once again, as A. Fredrickson couldn't find the plate, hitting the first three CU batters and walking the next, which set up a two-run single down the left-field line by Meier. Reinhart's sacrifice fly scored Quarberg to cap off a four-run inning, giving the Bears a 15-4 victory.
Rob Maslowski got the start for Concordia and worked 2.1 innings, striking out a pair and allowing all four runs (three earned). Maslowski is currently leading the Bears with a 3.00 season ERA.
Geoff Bray came on in relief and worked 4.2 shutout innings, allowing three hits and walk while striking out five to pick up the victory, improving his record to 5-0.
Quarberg, who leads the team in seven batting categories (AVG, OBP, SLG, 2B, HR, RBI, BB), went 4-7 with a double, homerun, three runs, and four RBIs. As a team, Concordia had six stolen bases in the doubleheader, led by Wetzell with two. Wetzell leads the club with seven steals in eight tries on the season.
The Bears return to action Thursday, April 21, when they take on crosstown rival Hamline in non-conference action at Robert E. Barnes Field. First pitch will be thrown out at 3:00 p.m.
