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ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia University softball team (12-22, 7-7 NSIC) was swept by Winona State (24-6, 7-3 NSIC) in Wednesday's doubleheader. The Warriors took game one by a score of 3-2 and game two by a score of 14-4.
With the wind gusting out for much of the day, the Warriors slugged out six homers and 27 hits in the doubleheader while the Golden Bears picked up 20 hits and failed to go deep.
Alicia Meiser had a big day at the plate for CU as she went 6-8 with a double, two runs scored, a run driven in and three steals. She improved her batting average to a team-best .385 on the season.
Bekah Roth hit an even .500 in the doubleheader with four hits in eight trips to the plate while driving in three.
GAME ONE: Winona State 3, Concordia-St. Paul 2
The Warriors got on the board early against starter
Stephanie Kappes as WSU pitcher Ashley Walker helped her own cause with a two-out, solo homer in the first.
Meiser started off the day for CU with a single up the middle and promptly stole second to give the Golden Bears a runner in scoring position. She eventually came home on a passed ball, but the Golden Bears stranded runners on second and third as Winona State escaped the inning with the score tied.
They quickly untied it as Morgan Lintz and Mary Turitto knocked the first two pitches of the second inning over the fence for back-to-back homers.
After Meiser doubled home
Cassie Bertelsen in the bottom of second to make it 3-2, both pitchers settled in to maintain that score. It wasn't easy going for either, though, as neither pitcher was able to put together a 1-2-3 inning in the game.
The Warriors seemed to extend their lead to 4-2 on a ball hit out of the park by Jenny Nelson in the sixth, but the home plate umpire called her out for missing home plate to end the inning.
The Golden Bears rallied to put runners on first and second in the bottom of the sixth and again loaded the bases in the seventh but were unable to pick up the elusive tying run.
Kappes (5-13) took the loss despite only allowing three runs while striking out two in seven innings of work.
GAME TWO: Winona State 14, Concordia-St. Paul 4
Winona State struck early again in game two as they put a three spot up in the first.
The Golden Bears got one back as their Meiser singled and stole second,
Teona Zepeda reached on a bunt single and Roth brought home Meiser with an infield single. Zepeda and Roth moved up to second and third but were left stranded.
Concordia briefly took the lead at 4-3 in the bottom of the second as Zepeda picked up and infield RBI single and Roth drove in two more with a hit up the middle.
That lead was quickly erased in the top of the third as the Warriors strung together five hits and three walks, including a big three run home run for Reed Karsten, to take the lead back at 8-4.
Starter
Linzy Heim (7-8) was chased from the game in the fourth as Kappes came in in relief to throw the last four innings. Heim allowed seven earned runs in 3+ innings in the circle in the loss.
The Warriors added two more runs on a Jenny Nelson homer in the fifth and four more runs on a Morgan Lintz grand slam in the seventh to push the lead to 14-4.
CU returns to Carlander Field this weekend to finish up a six-game homestand as U-Mary and Minot State come to town.