rosemount, minn. - the 2010 season didn't start out quite as scheduled and concordia's season-opening doubleheader against minnesota state didn't finish quite as planned as the team dropped both games of a doubleheader by scores of 7-2 and 9-4. The neutral non-conference games were played at the rosemount irish dome and gave the golden bears (0-2) a chance to take the field and see what areas need work as the season heats up. They were challenged by the potent mavericks (2-0), who were picked 3rd in the nsic preseason poll. Concordia returns to workouts until they head south for 14 games in florida in march. game 1 box score - game 2 box score
concordia's bats looked solid with a combined 17 hits on the day, but the pitching staff passed out too many free passes, 16 total, to gain the wins. Senior anna bjorlin (hermantown, minn.) looks to be in top form, going 5-of-7 at the plate. The doubleheader gave early morning fans plenty of action with the long ball, seeing eight homeruns sail over the fence by the day's end.
game 1
concordia's pitchers were greeted in the new season by an aggressive maverick hitting squad. Msu scored in each of the first four innings of the season's first game, knocking at freshman ashley kluever's (cottage grove, minn.) door for five hits and five earned runs in three innings of work. Msu's chelsea erickson had the power drive of the game for the mavericks, knocking out the team's first home run of the year over the left field fence for two runs.
the golden bears put their share of runners on the paths, starting the game with lead-off singles in the first three innings. After stranding each of these runners, anna bjorlin (hermantown, minn.) decided to put concordia's first run of the year up on her own, starting the fifth inning off with a dinger that cleared the left field fence.
the golden bears made their pitch for a comeback in the seventh inning with msu's kendra huettle relieved by katie kruse. Kruse gave away a free pass to lead-off hitter bjorlin. calli brennan (mendota heights, minn.) advanced bjorlin to third with a ground rule double and abby brundidge (nekoosa, wis.) drove in the run with an outfield single. The golden bears had their chances to set the score closer than the 7-2 final, but no ball got out of the infield and cu settled for the loss.
cu pitchers made their case challenging in the game, walking a total of 10 batters and hitting another. They struck out four, with three of the fans coming by the way of cassye mcmahon (rescue, calif.), all with runners in scoring position.
bjorlin finished 2-for-3 at the plate with an rbi, the team's first of the year. Brennan also picked up a pair of hits. The golden bears finished the game with an 8-7 hit lead over minnesota state. katie anderson (mendota heights, minn.) had a number of highlights in the game including an infield hit in her first at-bat, picking up where she left off after a speedy rookie year. She also saved a potential home run in the 3rd inning, hanging onto a long fly ball while toppling over the right field fence.
msu's julie o'neal and kelsey thompson each had a pair of hits in the win. Thompson was responsible for two rbi while erickson had a game high three.
game 2
the long ball and one rough inning broke an otherwise even second game matchup between the golden bears and mavericks. Msu hit solo homers in the second and third innings, to which the golden bears matched with a homer and a generated run to tie things up 2-2 after three innings. Back-to-back solo shots put the mavericks up 4-2 in the fifth inning.
freshman missie feuerbach (iowa city, iowa) drilled out a homerun in her fifth collegiate at-bat for the team's first run. nikki scherr (rochester, minn.) walked and came around to score with an rbi single from anderson, tying the game 2-2 before msu's third and fourth homers.
the mavericks figured out junior stephanie schmikla (madison, wis.) by their third time around the lineup, knocking the right hander out of the game in a troubled sixth. Msu opened up a 9-2 lead by the way of three hits, three walks and an error, sending 10 batters to the plate in the inning. Freshman katie feuerbach (iowa city, iowa) saw her first collegiate action in the game, throwing the heat for strikeouts to retire the last two batters of the frame.
tiffani rodd (cloquet, minn.) threw in some fireworks with a two-run homerun in the sixth and feuerbach threw a scoreless top of the seventh. Concordia got base runners on second and third in the seventh, but failed to close the game any tighter than 9-4.
bjorlin led the team in the second game with three hits. Rodd had two hits and two rbi. Schmikla took the loss in 5.1 innings of work, striking out six but giving up nine hits and eight runs. Feuerbach finished with a pair of strikeouts and allowed just one hit in 1.2 innings.
o'neal and thompson had strong second games at the plate as well, each finishing with two hits and o'neal gaining two rbi. Natalie spicer led her squad with a three rbi game from a base-clearing double. Freshman pitcher courtney mckelvogue took the win in her first start, striking out four and giving up four earned runs.
