CLERMONT, Fla. – The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (6-9) had a tough day as they saw two games slip away against #10 West Chester (7-2) and Merrimack (5-6) on Thursday. The Golden Bears fell to West Chester 8-6 and Merrimack 5-4 as the team evened their record at 4-4 in the NTC Spring Games.
 
The Golden Bears held late leads in both games as they held a 6-5 lead over West Chester in the fifth and a 4-3 lead over Merrimack but were unable to hold on in either game in what was a tough day.
 
#10 West Chester 8, Concordia-St. Paul 6
The Golden Bears used a four run third inning to run out to a 5-2 lead but the Golden Rams scored six runs over the final three innings to claim an 8-6 win.
 
Each team put up a run in the first as Sarah Walasavage drew a walk to open the game and scored on an error with two down for WCU while Jamie Fleischhacker drove in Nicole Thompson with an RBI double for CU.
 
Concordia left the bases loaded in the second but broke through with four runs in the third. This time, Fleischhacker got things started with a single and Liz Jarosz followed it up with a single of her own. Emily Shinn later reached on an error to load the bases with one down and Elena Koncar drove in the first run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to center. Two more came in as Kelly McKenzie reached on an error to third base and Zepeda laid down a bunt single to bring in the fourth run. All in all, West Chester committed four errors in the inning as none of the Golden Bear runs ended up being earned.
 
After Charlotte Conaway hit a pinch hit, three-run double in the fifth for the Golden Rams to tie the game, Koncar came around to score on another WCU error to put CU back on top at 6-5.
 
Micaela McSpadden delivered the game-winning hit in the West Chester half of the sixth as two runs came around to score on her single and Erin Whitman added an insurance run with an RBI double in the seventh to make it 8-6.
 
Fleischhacker carried the load offensively in the game for the Golden Bears as she was a perfect 4-4 in the game with an RBI and a run scored. The only other Golden Bear with more than a hit was Teona Zepeda, who collected two hits in four trips.
 
Senior Stephanie Kappes (3-5) took the loss in the circle for Concordia as she allowed six earned runs while striking out four in the complete game effort.
 
 
Merrimack 5, Concordia-St. Paul 4
After leading for much of the first game of the day, the Golden Bears played from behind for much of the game.
 
The Warriors scored a run in the second and two more in the third while Courtney Zambello retired the first 12 Concordia hitters she faced. Amanda Brush delivered an RBI single to bring home the first run in the second while Samantha Waskowitz scored on an error and Becca Armstrong singled home another run in the third to make it 3-0 in favor of Merrimack.
 
Liz Jarosz broke up Zambello's perfect game in the fifth with a leadoff single and came around to score Concordia's first run on Koncar's RBI double.
 
Both pitchers settled into a groove over the next few innings as the score remained 3-1 heading into the seventh. The Golden Bears wasted no time erasing the deficit in the seventh as Jarosz and Schanks hit back-to-back singles and Shinn doubled to bring them both home. Zambello exited after the double and Shinn eventually came around to score on a wild pitch to put her in position to take the loss heading into the last half inning.
 
Things didn't go according to plan for the Golden Bears in bottom of the seventh as the leadoff hitter reached on a walk and was sacrificed over to second as the tying run advanced to scoring position with one down. After another walk, Armstrong drove a walk-off double to bring home both runners to give Merrimack a 5-4 win.
 
Linzy Heim (1-3) was the tough luck losing pitcher for the Golden Bears as she threw a complete game, allowing two earned runs on nine hits in her 6.1 innings of work.
 
Jarosz and Shinn each had two hits for CU as Jarosz scored twice and Shinn drove in three while Zepeda, Schanks and Koncar all added hits. The two hits gives Jarosz seven hits in her last four games.
 
Concordia closes out play in the NTC Spring Games as they take on Wayne State (Mich.) at 2 p.m. and Hillsdale (Mich.) at 6 p.m. on Saturday before returning home.