ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul baseball (25-11, 17-9 NSIC) picked up a four game series sweep of Upper Iowa (10-24, 3-17 NSIC) this weekend at Barnes Field, but only out-scored the Peacocks by four runs as all four wins were by one run.

Today's games even featured the same scores as yesterday's doubleheader, winning the first game 2-1 but in the scheduled seven innings before a 3-2 win in the scheduled nine innings. Yesterday, game one went to extra innings (8) which shortened game two (7).

Concordia is now eight games above .500 in the NSIC Standings and in fourth place with plenty of weekend action still taking place around the league.

The Golden Bears will face their toughest test in their home finale on Wednesday, April 30 against #3 Minnesota State with a 1:30 doubleheader. The Mavericks lead the NSIC with a 24-4 record and are idle this weekend.

Next weekend, Concordia closes out the regular season at Sioux Falls (11-21, 12th). The Cougars were swept this weekend at Winona State in a closely played series and will be idle during the midweek.

GAME 1: Concordia 2, Upper Iowa 1
Senior right handed starter Adam Kramer went the distance after missing a start due to injury and was outstanding. He scattered six singles, struck out six and didn't issue any walks. He improves to 5-2 with the win, lowering his ERA to 2.49 on senior day.

It was a shaky first inning for the veteran right hander, allowing a pair of singles and a batter to reach on error but worked out of the trouble as center fielder Kyle Dalton threw behind Alex George to retire him on the bases just before Samuel Kortes was able to cross home for the third out.

The offense backed him up as Dalton delivered a run scoring single to center in the third inning and sophomore Eric Fasnacht hit an RBI single to left in the fourth inning for a 2-0 lead.

The Peacocks finally got to Kramer again in the fifth and were able to score a run when George delivered an RBI single to left center.

But no one else reached scoring position the rest of the way against Kramer.

Dalton and Fasnacht each went 1-2 with an RBI and a walk while Fasnacht added a stolen base. Senior Elliot Powell stayed hot at the plate, going 1-2 including the game's first run.

Mason Buster took the loss for UIU, going the distance while scattering three singles and walking three. He allowed two runs (one earned) over 6.0 innings as he falls to 2-5.

GAME 2: Concordia 3, Upper Iowa 2
The Peacocks jumped on sophomore right handed starter Yuji Suzuki in the series finale, scoring a pair of unearned runs in a 35 pitch first inning that included just one hit and a pair of hit batters.

Concordia went down quickly in the first and Suzuki pitched around a pair of second inning walks.

In the bottom of the second, senior Brooks Beilke slugged his first home run as a Golden Bear, putting it over the left center field fence to cut the UIU lead in half.

Upper Iowa kept the heat on Suzuki in the third, starting the inning with a single and a walk. But Suzuki fielded his position well all day, taking a sacrifice bunt away for the second time as he turned and fired to third base and then induced a double play aided by runners interference to end the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Dalton drew a one out walk followed by singles from senior Drew Turk and sophomore Ryan Poppitz to load the bases. Beilke drove in the tying run with a line drive sacrifice fly to center and Fasnacht followed with a towering fly ball double to the left field fence to score Turk from second. Poppitz was thrown out at home on the play to end the inning, but Concordia had the run support it needed for Suzuki.

Suzuki seemed to get into a groove from there, pitching around a leadoff single in the fourth as he induced a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning as he once again fielded his position brilliantly by getting to first in time on a tough play.

After a 1-2-3 fifth inning, Suzuki forced the Peacocks to strand the tying run on third in the sixth in his final inning.

Concordia's bullpen preserved the win as freshman southpaw Josh Lenz threw 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing a two out hit in the seventh and a two out walk in the eighth.

In the ninth, senior closer Colton Petron closed the door for his third save in a shutout inning.

Suzuki moves to 3-1 with the win, allowing two unearned runs over 6.0 innings on three hits and four walks.

Dickson Paz took the loss for UIU, falling to 2-1 as he went the distance. In his 8.0 innings, he allowed three runs on nine hits and four walks.

Poppitz led Concordia with a 2-3 performance at the plate while Beilke drove in two runs as he went 1-3. Fasnacht and Powell each delivered doubles, Fasnacht's sixth and Powell's third of the season. Eight different players had hits for Concordia, who only struck out six times in the doubleheader.