WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia University softball team (2-5) picked up a split against Minnesota Duluth (9-4) on Wednesday at the West St. Paul Sports Dome. The Golden Bears took game one 8-2 before falling to the Bulldogs 5-3 in game two.
Haley Schanks and
Emily Shinn each had big days at the plate as Schanks went 2-4 with a homer, a double, four walks and four runs driven in while Shinn went 4-6 with a walk in the doubleheader.
GAME ONE: Concordia-St. Paul 8, Minnesota Duluth 2The Golden Bears got off to a strong start as
Teona Zepeda drew a walk and came around to score on a
Jamie Fleischhacker double in the top of the first as they took a 1-0 lead.
Stephanie Kappes got the start in the circle and held the Bulldogs off balance for much of the game as she allowed no earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in the complete game win.
Minnesota Duluth picked up a run to tie the score in the bottom of the third as they capitalized on a Golden Bear miscue, but the tie wouldn't last long as Concordia scored one in the fourth and three in the fifth to make it 5-1. Shinn drove in Schanks, who led off the inning with a double, with a single in the fourth. Schanks added her first career homer as she drove a three-run shot over the wall in center field in the fifth.
UMD got one back in the fifth on a botched pickoff attempt but CU answered right back with two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh. Fleishhacker got the scoring in the sixth going with a scorching grounder that was misplayed by the shortstop and Schanks drove in another run with a bases loaded walk with one down in the inning. Fleischhacker added another RBI in the seventh with an infield single to bring it to the final score of 8-2.
Fleischhacker finished the game 2-5 with three RBI and
Nicole Thompson went 3-4 with two runs scored in the game.
Kelly McKenzie also had a multi-hit game as she went 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
The Golden Bears handed Sam Hartmann her first loss of the season as she entered the game with a perfect 5-0 record. CU tagged her for eight runs, seven earned, on 12 hits with seven walks in the complete game loss.
GAME TWO: Minnesota Duluth 5, Concordia-St. Paul 3Concordia jumped ahead again in game two as Jamie Fleschhacker opened the scoring with a two-run blast to left center in the bottom of the third.
Linzy Heim held the Bulldogs scoreless for the first three innings before three straight singles to open the fourth put the Golden Bears in a tough situation. Alexia Klaas drew a bases loaded walk in a ten pitch at-bat to cut the UMD deficit in half at 2-1 but Heim stood her ground. She picked up a strikeout, a fielder's choice with the lead runner being retired at the plate and a pop out to end the inning as she allowed no more runners to cross the plate.
After a Schanks walk and a Shinn single to lead off the bottom of the fourth,
Elena Koncar delivered a big hit down the right field line to get the run back and make it 3-1.
The Bulldogs answered right back, though, as they put runners on second and third with one down before Sami Schnyder made it 3-2 with a sacrifice fly to left.
Still leading 3-2 heading into the seventh, Heim retired the leadoff hitter to pull within two outs of the complete game win. After a walk, Kappes entered in to close it out. Schnyder greeted her by looping a fly ball to center field that dropped between three Golden Bears for a single to put runners on first and second. Jordan Rice then delivered the big blow as she drove a three-run blast to right to put UMD on top 5-3.
Concordia threatened as they put runners on the corners with one down but couldn't get anyone across as Minnesota Duluth closed out the win.
Heim was solid in a no-decision as she allowed three runs on six hits while striking out two in 6.1 innings of work.
Cayli Sadler picked up the win for UMD as she allowed three runs on eight hits in the complete game victory.
Zepeda paced the CU offense by going 3-4 while Fleischhacker and Shinn each had two hits as well.
Concordia heads south this weekend as they open up play in the NTC Games in Orlando, Fla. on Sunday.
