ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia University softball team (4-12) split their first two games of the MWSU Softball Invitational with an 11-6 loss to Northwest Missouri State (9-13) on Friday morning and a 3-2 win over Pittsburg State (14-9).
GAME ONE: Northwest Missouri State 11, Concordia-St. Paul 6
Despite outhitting NWMSU 12-11 in the game, the Golden Bears were done in by another big inning.
Cassie Bertelsen got the Golden Bears on the board in the bottom of the second as she hit her second home run of the season, driving in
Elena Koncar to make it 2-0.
A costly error in the top of the third paired with three hits and three walks quickly turned the tide as the Bearcats took contol with five runs in the inning.
The two teams matched each other with a pair of runs in the fifth before Northwest Missouri State put it away with three in the sixth and another in the seventh.
Liz Jarosz went deep to drive in a pair in the bottom of the seventh to close the gap to 11-6 but it was too late for a CU comeback.
The freshmen made an impact for CU in the game as
Elena Koncar picked up her first career multi-hit game going 2-4 at the dish and
Navarae Honoroff went 2-3 with a run scored to go along with Jarosz's homer.
Bekah Roth also continued to up her average with a two-hit game to push her season average to .300.
Stephanie Kappes (1-9) took the loss in the circle despite allowing no earned runs in her three innings of work before being relieved by
Linzy Heim.
GAME TWO: Concordia-St. Paul 3, Pittsburg State 2
After a high scoring first game, pitching was the story in game two.
Kappes (2-9) bounced back after game one to pick up the complete game win. She struck out five while only allowing two runs on four hits in the win.
Samatha Grove cruised through four innings before she was tagged for three runs and got the hook. Halieigh Sills came on in relief and retired all seven batters she faced.
The Gorillas broke the scoreless tie in the third as Bailey Letts desposited a pitch from Kappes over the wall to put Pitt State up 2-0.
The score remained 2-0 into the fifth until the Golden Bears struck for three.
Teona Zepeda got the inning started with a leadoff triple, but remained at third with two outs after the next two hitters were retired.
Tessa Ewert kept the inning alive as she reached base on an error which brought Zepeda home. Bertelsen followed with a clutch two-run homer, her second of the day and third of the year, to put CU on top.
After allowing the first two batters of the bottom of the inning to reach base, Kappes closed the door by retiring the final nine hitters of the game.
Zepeda had a big game at the dish with three hits, including the triple.
Honoroff picked up another two-hit game as she went 2-2 with a walk to reach base all three times.
The Golden Bears continue play tomorrow at 11 a.m. against Washburn and 3 p.m. against Missouri Southern State.
