FAYETTE, Iowa - The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (23-9, 10-4 NSIC) won the first of two games played at Upper Iowa (19-13, 6-6) by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning a 4-3 victory. In the second game, it was Upper Iowa with a big late inning, using a four-run fifth inning to defeat Concordia 7-3 for the split.

Concordia served as the home team in the box score, although the games were relocated to UIU's Eischeid Complex on Tuesday afternoon.

GAME 1: Concordia 4, Upper Iowa 3
Concordia took the early lead with a third inning solo home run by Lindsey Kamleiter (Lakeville, Minn.), her third of the season.

Senior right hander Ashley Kluever (Cottage Grove, Minn.) was in cruise control trhough the early innings, striking out six of her first nine recorded outs, allowing just a two out single through the right side in the third inning.

Upper Iowa took the lead off Kluever in the fourth, however, hitting a solo home run and a two-out RBI single.

The Peacocks added two more runs in the fifth inning on a two-run single and led the Golden Bears 4-1 after five innings.

In the sixth, Kluever loaded the bases after striking out the first two hitters of the inning but was able to pitch out of trouble unscathed.

The offense came through for Kluever in the bottom of the inning. Alicia Meiser (Circle Pines, Minn.) led off with a triple to right and scored on Teona Zepeda's (Woodbury, Minn.) sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Bekah Roth (Shoreview, Minn.) delivered a two-run single to left center to take a 4-3 lead in a three-run inning.

Kluever was clutch in the top of the seventh, closing out the Peacocks by striking out the side, stranding a one-out single.

Kluever finished with 11 strikeouts in the complete game win, improving to 14-5 on the year. She has 130 strikeouts in 99.1 innings this season.

Brooke Redmond was tagged with the loss, falling to 9-5. She struck out six and didn't walk anyone in a complete game (6.0 IP).

Jamie Fleischhacker (Maplewood, Minn.) led Concordia with a 2-3 performance while Zepeda was 1-2 with her second double of the year, a run and an RBI. Meiser's triple was her first of the season.

GAME 2: Upper Iowa 7, Concordia 3
In the second game, Concordia took a 2-1 after four innings powered by Brynn Larsen's (Oconto Falls, Wis.) two-run home run. It was Larsen's fifth homer of the year as she's still leading the team in hitting at .422.

The lead didn't last as Upper Iowa rallied for four runs in the top of the fifth inning to force starting pitcher Stephanie Kappes (Circle Pines, Minn.) out of the game with the bases loaded and one out with three runs already in.

Kluever came on in relief and after allowing one of Kappes' runs to score, struck out the next two Peacocks to work out of the jam.

The damage was done, though as Upper Iowa claimed a 5-2 lead with Concordia batting in the bottom of the fifth. The Golden Bears were retired quickly for two outs in the inning before a two-out double by Fleischhacker and an infield single by Missie Feuerbach (Iowa City, Iowa) gave the squad life. But they were left aboard, and they'd strand a one-out single by Kamleiter in the sixth inning as well.

The Peacocks added an insurance run in each of the sixth and seventh innings and led by five runs going into the bottom of the seventh. Concordia tried to put together a late rally as M.Feuerbach delivered a two-out RBI double but it was too little and too late in the loss.

Kappes falls to 9-4 on the year with the loss. She worked 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on as many hits. Kluever finished the game, allowing two runs (one earned) in 2.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts.

Upper Iowa's Jacqueline Flood improved to 7-3 with the complete game win, striking out 11 with just one walk while allowing three runs (two earned) while scattering nine Golden Bear hits.

Meiser went 2-4 in the second game, stealing a pair of bases but also getting caught stealing third. She's now 31-34 in stolen base attempts this season to lead the conference. M.Feuerbach was 3-4 with a run and an RBI adding her 11th double. Fleischhacker's double was her seventh as she went 1-4 at the plate.

Concordia now looks ahead to a challenging weekend of key NSIC games. The Golden Bears will play host to Wayne State (13-2, 1st) on Saturday and Augustana (12-4, 4th) on Sunday with game times currently scheduled for noon at Carlander Field. Concordia is currently sixth in the conference, tied with St. Cloud State, but the standings remain extremely tight.

With snow still covering the Barnes/Carlander baseball/softball fields, an announcement on site, date and time changes could be possible later in the week.