SERIES PHOTO GALLERY

ST. PAUL, Minn. - With time on the regular season coming to a close, the postseason race is heating up. With temperatures in the mid-70's at Barnes Field on Monday afternoon, it was Concordia-St. Paul (16-12, 9-7 NSIC) that picked up a second-straight important split with Sioux Falls (18-22, 13-13), dropping the first game 8-7 before a 9-6 second game win.

Usually, splits are not exciting. But with only six games remaining, Concordia maintained a virtual two game lead over Sioux Falls in the NSIC Standings. Currently, Sioux Falls would be on the outside-looking-in for an NSIC Tournament spot, while Concordia is sitting in seventh place in the standings with the top eight teams reaching the conference tournament.

Concordia's next games, scheduled at #12 Minnesota State, have been moved up a day in preparation of bad weather. Concordia will now play at MSU on Tuesday, April 30 at 1:30 p.m. in Mankato, Minn. MSU is 29-8 overall and 18-4 in second place in the NSIC. With MSU fighting for positioning in the NCAA Central Region rankings and chasing an NSIC Championship, and the Golden Bears clawing for NSIC Tournament positioning, tomorrow's doubleheader has the makings of postseason atmosphere.

Senior center fielder Greg Larpenter (Urbandale, Iowa) went 2-3 with a pair of walks in the first game and went 0-2 but was hit by pitch twice in the second game. He's now reached base safely (hit, walk, HBP) in all 28 games this year.

GAME 1: Sioux Falls 8, Concordia 7 (9 innings)
After Sioux Falls tied the game at four in the top of the sixth, Concordia had a chance to win in the bottom of the seventh inning. With runners on second and third, USF delivered a wild pitch to the backstop and freshman Ryan Poppitz (Plymouth, Minn.) broke for home. He was called out on a close play at the plate sending the game into extra innings.

In the ninth inning, Sioux Falls pinch runner Trevor Crow, who entered in the seventh inning, stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in his first plate appearance. He took the pitch over the left center field fence for a grand slam.

Concordia came back with three-straight one-out walks in the bottom of the inning, before senior Adam Kramer (Wausau, Wis.) pulled a two-run double down the left field line. T.J. Obermeyer (Sergeant Bluff, Iowa) added a sacrifice fly to bring Concordia within a run with the tying run at second and the winning run at the plate with two outs. But a chopper off Eric Fasnacht's (Eden Prairie, Minn.) bat was collected at third base and he was thrown out to end the contest.

Sioux Falls started strong with the first three runs, two in the first and one in the second off starter John Hayes (Lakeville, Minn.). He settled into a groove, though, and allowed three earned runs (four total) over six innings with three strikeouts.

Concordia claimed its first lead of the game in the third inning by sending all nine hitters to the plate in a four run inning. Back-to-back RBI singles were produced by Kyle Dalton (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Larpenter, and Elliot Powell (Minnetonka, Minn.) was hit by pitch with the bases loaded and Mick Sawinski (St. Louis Park, Minn.) lifted a sacrifice fly for the 4-3 lead.

The middle innings were silent until USF tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth, shaping up for the game's photo finish.

Larpenter and Sawinski each went 2-3 in the game.

Sioux Falls starter Noah Coleman did not factor into the decision, pitching 6.1 innings while allowing four runs on seven hits and five walks with seven strikeouts. Concordia forced his ERA to move up to 2.91 on the year.

Steve Schroer was credited with the victory, improving to 3-2 despite allowing three runs over 1.2 innings in relief. Andrew Christensen picked up his first save despite allowing all three of Schroer's runs to score after inheriting the bases loaded jam.

GAME 2: Concordia 9, Sioux Falls 6
Sioux Falls jumped out the early lead again in game two with a four run first inning. All four runs were unearned off starter Griff Kilber (Chanhassen, Minn.) including a two-out, two-run home run by Kelbe Beste.

Concordia countered with two runs in the bottom of the second on Trevon Bargfrede's (Jackson, Minn.) two-run single up the middle.

Kilber would allow back-to-back home runs to start the third inning as well as USF moved the lead back to four runs. Kilber quickly recorded the next three outs.

In the bottom of the inning, Concordia rallied, sending 10 hitters to the plate in a five-run inning. In the inning, they drew two walks and were hit by pitch twice with RBI singles added by Sawinski and Dalton with a sacrifice fly by Bargfrede.

Kilber would exit after the three innings. He allowed six runs, but only two earned and would not factor into the decision.

Colton Petron (New Ulm, Minn.) came on in relief, working two scoreless innings while pitching with a one run lead in the fourth and fifth.

Adam Fredericks (Minnetonka, Minn.) worked a scoreless sixth inning before the bottom of the lineup added two insurance runs with RBI singles by Sawinski and Fasnacht.

In the seventh, Tyler Brekke (Lakeville, Minn.) threw six pitches to pick up the save, getting help from right fielder Paul Giel (Minnetonka, Minn.) who threw out Zach Ireland from the warning track at second base on a sure double. It was Brekke's fourth save.

Petron earned the win, improving to 3-1 while throwing 26 pitches to eight batters.

Eric Brothers took the loss for USF, allowing seven runs over 2.1 innings.

Bargfrede finished the game 2-4 with three RBI while getting a chance to lead-off. Dalton also went 2-4 behind him, with an RBI and Sawinski was 2-3 with two runs and two RBI as the DH. He went 4-6 in the doubleheader to raise his average to .246. Fasnacht was 2-2 with a pair of singles, two RBI and was hit by pitch twice.

Concordia was hit by pitch six times in the game, one short of the school record (7, Gannon, 2006).

SERIES NOTES
In the four game series, Greg Larpenter hit .417 (5-12) with a .588 on-base percentage and .833 slugging percentage with a home run, two doubles and three RBI while scoring six runs ... Concordia's top run producer was Eric Fasnacht, driving in four runs in the series while posting a .375 OBP ... Elliot Powell hit just .250 for the series (2-8) but reached base at a team-leading .600 rate with five walks and two HBP, he also scored five runs and had three RBI ... Concordia's bullpen only allowed six runs over the four game series while being called on to pitch 10.2 innings ... the bullpen was led by Adam Fredericks with three scoreless 1-inning appearances while holding opponents to a .100 average