ST. PAUL, Minn. - For the second consecutive season, Concordia-St. Paul baseball (11-2, 4-0 NSIC) pulled off a four game weekend series sweep to open Northern Sun play, topping Bemidji State (3-17, 0-4 NSIC) 11-7 and 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at Barnes Field.

The team's 11-2 start is the best start since the 2009 team opened up 12-2 on its way to a school record 35 win season (35-18). The 2009 and 2016 Golden Bears are the only two teams to start 11-2 through 13 games in head coach Mark "Lunch" McKenzie's 17 seasons.

Concordia overcame a deficit in all four games of the series, falling behind 4-0 in the first inning of the first game today and trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning of game two. In game one, it was a go-ahead three-run homer by Tanner Holmquist that broke a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the fourth inning. It was Holmquist's second homer of the game and fourth of the series as he has six on the year. In game two, it was a pair of freshmen that sparked the comeback as Isaac Hormann had a game-tying bases loaded two-run double in the seventh before Ben Suits hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the eighth. It was Suits' second homer of the day, third of the weekend and fourth of the season.

The Golden Bears have overcome a lead in eight of their 11 victories on the year and are riding a six game winning streak following the weekend sweep of BSU. Last year, Concordia swept Minnesota Crookston in four games at Veterans Field (Minnetonka High School) on its way to a 5-0 start to league play.

The Golden Bears remain at home next Saturday and Sunday with a four game series against U-Mary (3-13, 1-2 NSIC) who dropped two of three this weekend at home to Sioux Falls.

GAME 1: Concordia 11, Bemidji State 7
Bemidji State came out hot looking to pick up its first win of the series, using a two-run home run by Tyler Nelson as part of a four run first inning. But the Bears clawed back with three in the bottom of the inning backed by Tanner Holmquist's two-run homer, with Ben Suits following with a double and scoring on Alex LaPorte's two-out RBI single.

Concordia forced the Beavers to leave the bases loaded in the second inning as BSU stranded 10 runners on compared to Concordia's two in the contest. After starter Kody Knaus worked his first 1-2-3 inning in the third, the offense grabbed him his first lead when Suits belted a two-run homer as part of a three run inning for a 6-4 lead.

BSU tied the game in the fourth with two more runs when Holmquist had the big three-run homer to take the lead for good in the bottom of the inning.

Knaus picked up the win, improving to 3-0 as he pitched 4.0 innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts.

From there, right handed reliever Jake Kounkel stopped the Beavers' bats, working 3.0 innings and allowing just one unearned run on four hits with three strikeouts to pick up his first save of the year.

Mark Lesinski took the loss for BSU, falling to 0-4 as Concordia tagged him for eight runs (seven earned) in 3.2 innings.

The Golden Bears added a pair of runs to the lead in the sixth inning as Connor Olson delivered a two-run homer, his third of the year.

Holmquist was 2-4 with two homers and five RBI, while Suits was 2-4 with a double, homer and two RBI. Eric Fasnacht went 2-4 and scored a pair of runs while Olson was 1-3 with a walk, two runs and two RBI from the leadoff spot. Concordia's 1-through-6 spots in the lineup combined to go 10-19 and the 2-through-5 hitters all had two hit games.

GAME 2: Concordia 4, Bemidji State 3
The Beavers once again appeared poised to leave St. Paul with a victory as BSU starter Ryan Fransen looked to play the role of stopper as he retired the first nine Golden Bears he faced and induced a double play to erase a leadoff single in the fourth.

Meanwhile, BSU started the game in the lead as eighth hitter Logan Reidel hit a two-run triple off the left field wall, with Tanner Holmquist nearly robbing him at the fence before the collision with the fence forced the ball loose but more importantly forced him to leave the contest.

Gunner Olszewski, who walked and scored on the play, would extend BSU's lead to 3-0 with a solo homer in the fourth inning.

Concordia finally got to Fransen the second time through the order as Andrew Shotwell delivered an RBI single to score Ben Suits, who walked to leadoff the inning. But Ryan Poppitz and Shotwell were left on second and third to end the inning with the tying run in scoring position.

In the seventh with a light rain starting to fall on Barnes Field, Alex LaPorte, Shotwell and David Henke drew consecutive one out walks to load the bases with ninth batter Isaac Hormann lining a two-run double to the fence in left to tie the game although the Golden Bears left the go-ahead run on third base with one out.

In the eighth inning with one out, Suits provided the heroics by launching a home run over the left field fence and into center field of neighboring Carlander Field (softball).

Junior lefty Kevin Woebke was solid for Concordia, giving the Bears their longest start of the weekend as he went 7.0 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. He did not factor into the decision, with fellow junior left hander Josh Lenz working a scoreless eighth with a strikeout to improve to 2-0 out of the bullpen. Senior right hander Yuji Suzuki worked a perfect ninth inning on six pitches with a strikeout for his fourth save. Suzuki also fielded his position well, making an acrobatic throw on a bunt between home and the mound, and made the last out by stopping a sharp comebacker for the win.

Fransen did not factor into the decision for BSU, allowing three runs on four hits with three strikeouts and five walks in 6.1 innings. Nate Heisick took the loss, allowing the Suits homer in the eighth as he worked 1.2 innings of relief, striking out a pair and allowing just two hits.

SERIES NOTES

• Concordia improves to 35-24 against BSU all-time, 16-10 at Barnes Field and 33-21 in NSIC games
• Concordia is 10-0 in NSIC opening series/doubleheaders the last three years (2016: 4-0 vs BSU; 2015: 4-0 vs UMC; 2014: 2-0 vs Mary)
• The Golden Bears have won six in a row following their only two losses after a 5-0 start
• Concordia slugged 13 home runs in the four game series, producing a .707 team slugging percentage (.336/.394/.707 slash)
• Tanner Holmquist hit .538/.538/1.462 (7-13) with four home runs and eight RBI in the series
• Connor Olson and Ben Suits each slugged three home runs and a double and had game-winning home runs
• Ryan Poppitz broke out by hitting .583/.615/.917 (7-12) on the weekend with a double and home run
• Concordia's bullpen allowed two runs (one earned) in 14.0 innings, earning three of the wins with three saves
• The Golden Bear pitching staff had 31 strikeouts in 32 innings
• Josh Lenz picked up a pair of wins on the weekend in two relief appearance with 5.0 shutout innings, striking out three with six hits (all singles) and a walk
• Yuji Suzuki also made two relief appearances, earning a save in each
• Concordia is slugging .519 on the year as a team with 47 extra base hits in 13 games including 18 home runs