TUCSON, Ariz. - Concordia-St. Paul baseball (2-0) opened up the 2016 season with 5-3 and 8-4 victories in a doublheader sweep of Malone University (0-2) on Friday afternoon. While the rest of Concordia's campus was treated to temperatures in the low 30's, the baseball team played under a sunny sky with temperatures in the high 80's at Kino Sports Complex at the Tucson Invitational Games.

GAME 1: Concordia 5, Malone 3
Senior left handed starter Zach Rengel worked six innings and struck out nine to pick up the victory. Senior right handed reliever Yuji Suzuki earned the save, pitching the seventh inning.

Fourth year players from Minnetonka High School Andrew Shotwell and Alex LaPorte each had a pair of hits in the game with Shotwell driving in a pair of runs to power the win.

GAME 2: Concordia 8, Malone 4
Sophomore Tanner Holmquist, who redshirted last year in his first year in the program, delivered a game-tying two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning and senior shortstop Eric Fasnacht smacked a bases clearing double for a 7-4 lead.

While Holmquist picked up his first career home run (and his first career hit) in the game, so did freshmen Cole Kirchoff and Jake Steckler.

Fasnacht finished with five RBI, going 2-3 at the plate.

Senior lefty Kody Knaus picked up the win, working the first five innings before giving way to junior southpaw Josh Lenz who slammed the door with two shutout innings for the save.