ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (16-27, 10-10 NSIC) picked up a split against Upper Iowa (17-22, 12-6 NSIC) as they stayed even in NSIC play. The Golden Bears came from behind to grab a 4-2 win in game one before falling 10-4 in game two.
 
Concordia-St. Paul 4, Upper Iowa 2
Stephanie Kappes (10-15) delivered one of her best performances of the season as she allowed two early runs before shutting the door the rest of the way. The senior collected the complete game win with a season-high seven strikeouts while allowing seven hits. Kappes picked up her 44^th career win and 10^th on the season as she has picked up double digit wins in each season as a Golden Bear.
 
Concordia struggled to solve UIU starter Jacqueline Flood in the early going but got all the offense they would need late as they claimed their sixth comeback win in nine games at Carlander Field. Flood (9-10) struck out six while giving up four runs (three earned) on nine hits with six strikeouts.
 
The Peacocks picked up the first big hit of the day in the second inning as Katie Mnichowicz stepped up with the bases loaded and two down and delivered a two-run single up the middle to put UIU up 2-0. Kappes struck out the next hitter to escape any more damage.
 
The Golden Bears got a run back in the fourth inning as they got a little bit of help from the Peacocks. Liz Jarosz delivered the first hard contact of the day off of Flood as she roped a double to the left center gap with one out. Flood followed it up with a big strikeout as she looked to strand Jarosz but a grounder to short off the bat of Lizzy Swenson resulted in a throw that skipped past the first baseman and allowed Jarosz to score.
 
Concordia threatened to tie the score in the fifth as Nicole Thompson and Jamie Fleischhacker hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with one out. Flood settled down and coaxed an infield pop-up and a ground out to end the inning.
 
Flood wouldn't be so fortunate in the sixth as Concordia finally broke through against her. After Sarah Kivisto was hit by a pitch to open the inning, Lizzy Swenson tied the game with a double on a line to left center to bring home Kivisto. Navarae Honoroff laid down a perfect bunt and beat it out before stealing second to put two in scoring position. Kelly McKenzie gave the Golden Bears the lead as she looped a single to center and Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to center to add an insurance run and make it 4-2 in favor of CU.
 
Kappes retired the side in order in the seventh to close out the win and put the Golden Bears back above .500 in league play.
 
Thompson and Honoroff paced CU with a pair of hits each in the game while Whitney Williams and Riley Kruel each had two hits for UIU.
 
 
Upper Iowa 10, Concordia-St. Paul 4
The Peacocks jumped on the Golden Bears right from the start as they put a five-spot up in the top of the first. Game one starting pitcher Jacqueline Flood opened the scoring with a deep two-run home run to left field before Katie Sammons added a two-run blast of her own two batters later to quickly make it 4-0. A double followed by a miscue in the outfield with two down allowed the fifth run of the inning to cross the plate.
 
After Concordia sent the minimum to the plate in the next two innings, Upper Iowa added to their lead with four more runs in the third. Whitney Williams provided the big hit in the inning as she put a double in the gap to clear the bases and bring in three runs. Erica Kirgan added an RBI double as well as she brought in Williams to extend the lead to 9-0.
 
Concordia chipped away at the lead in the fourth as Jamie Fleischhacker led off the inning with her team-leading sixth homer of the season. That wouldn't be all for CU as Jarosz and Swenson reached with one down before Jarosz crossed the plate on a throwing error on the shortstop on a botched fielder's choice. Swenson came in on a wild pitch and Emily Shinn, who reached on the fielder's choice, attempted to score from second on the same pitch but was nailed at the plate to end the inning as the Golden Bears still trailed 9-3.
 
The two teams traded runs in the sixth to bring it to the final score of 10-4. The Peacocks used a Golden Bear error with the bases loaded to bring in their run while Stephanie Kappes hit her first home run of the season and first since her freshman year in their half of the inning.
 
The Golden Bears used four different pitchers in the game as Haley Schanks (4-7) took the loss while Kappes, Amber Galloway and Linzy Heim all worked in relief.
 
Taylor Bjork (3-2) picked up the win for the Peacocks as she gave up four runs on nine hits in the complete game effort.
 
Kappes and Shinn each had two hits to lead the way for CU.
 
Riley Kruel had a big game at the plate as she delivered four hits and a walk and scored three times to give her six hits on the day.
 
Concordia now hits the road for six games as they travel to Minot State and U-Mary this weekend and Sioux Falls next Wednesday.