ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (11-9, 4-4 NSIC) split today's doubleheader and the four game series with Winona State (11-11, 5-3),
winning the first game 2-1 before a
4-2 loss in game two at Robertson Woods Field on the campus of Upper Iowa University.
GAME 1: Concordia 2, Winona State 1
Sophomore outfielder
Trevon Bargfrede (Jackson, Minn.) picked a big spot to hit his first career home run, sending a solo shot to left field in the top of the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie to lead off the inning.
Concordia held a 1-0 lead when freshman
Ryan Poppitz (Plymouth, Minn.) delivered an RBI single through the right side in the third inning.
The lead held until the bottom of the sixth inning as freshman left hander
Zach Rengel (Fergus Falls, Minn.) was on cruise control once again. He finally allowed a run in the sixth but it was the only damage against him.
Rengel went the distance, working all seven innings with nine strikeouts while allowing just two hits. He improved to 2-2, winning his second-straight start while dropping his ERA to 2.42.
Poppitz went 2-4 in the game as his offense continues to break out.
Greg Larpenter (Urbandale, Iowa) went 2-3 and scored a run, adding his fifth double of the year.
GAME 2: Winona State 4, Concordia 2
Concordia struck first with a run in the third inning as sophomore
Kyle Dalton (Minnetonka, Minn.) delivered an RBI single through the right side.
The Warriors bats attacked in the bottom of the inning against starter
John Hayes (Lakeville, Minn.), though, hitting back-to-back-to-back homers in a four-run inning.
The two teams played scoreless baseball in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
In the seventh, Concordia attempted a late game rally, as
Drew Turk (Plainfield, Ill.) was hit by pitch followed by singles by
Elliot Powell (Minnetonka, Minn.) and
Jared Kramer (Wausau, Wis.) to load the bases with one out.
Eric Fasnacht (Eden Prairie, Minn.) singled in a run through the right side, but Dalton grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game with the bases full.
Hayes took the loss, allowing four runs in 2.2 innings to fall to 1-2. The bullpen was superb as
Adam Fredericks (Minnetonka, Minn.) and
Colton Petron (New Ulm, Minn.) each went 1.2 scoreless innings. Fredericks struck out two and allowed two hits while Petron didn't allow a hit or a walk.
Bargfrede continued to break out, going 2-3 with a run.
Concordia opens mid-week play this week with a doubleheader at Minnesota Duluth on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. They remain on the road next weekend with a four game series at U-Mary in Bismarck, N.D. on April 13-14.