ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Concordia-St. Paul softball team (11-23, 5-9 NSIC) dropped a pair of games on a cold Saturday afternoon at Northern State (16-22, 6-8 NSIC) as the Wolves won game one 10-4 and game two 8-0 in five innings.
 
Northern State 10, Concordia-St. Paul 4
The Wolves took advantage of a seven-run third to erase an early Concordia lead as they cruised to a comfortable game one victory.
 
Rachel Albright led the way as she went a perfect 4-4 with three runs batted in while Macey Engel and Katelynn Dilts each added a pair of RBI as well.
 
For Concordia, Liz Jarosz reached base all four times as she put up a pair of hits and a pair of walks while Jamie Fleischhacker and Sarah Kivisto each contributed two hits and a walk.
 
Linzy Heim (8-11), had her impressive winning streak ended as she took the loss. Heim struck out six as she allowed nine earned runs in the complete game.
 
Jamie Fisher (5-10) got the win as she held CSP to three earned runs on eight hits as she struck out six in the complete game victory.
 
In the top of the second, the Golden Bears played some small ball as they managed to manufacture a run without a hit. Sarah Kivisto led off the inning with a walk before stealing second to advance to scoring position. Two hitters later, Elena Koncar reached on an error that allowed Kivisto to come all the way around to score and put CSP on the board. Still without a hit, Kelly McKenzie moved into scoring position with two outs, but Concordia was unable to push her across as it remained 1-0.
 
The hits came in the third for Concordia as Justine Schattner, Liz Jarosz and Sarah Kivisto all singled to bring a second run across the plate and double the CSP lead to 2-0.
 
After being held scoreless through the first two innings, the Wolves broke through in a big way in the bottom of the third as they scored seven times in the inning. The first eight hitters reached base in the frame as Rachel Albright singled home two runs, Macey Engel singled home another, Katelynn Dilts doubled in two more and Jamie Fisher drove in one more to make it six before an out was recorded. NSU added one more on a CSP error before the inning was over to bring it to 7-2.
 
After Northern State added a run to their lead on a Fisher RBI double in the fourth, Concordia answered back with a run of their own in the top of the fifth. Liz Jarosz and Haley Schanks got the rally started with walks before a wild pitch moved them in to scoring position before Emily Shinn drove in Jarosz with an RBI groundout to get a run back.
 
That would be all the closer CSP would get as Albright and Engel each added another RBI single apiece in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 10-3.
 
Concordia did get a run back on a Frankie Munkwitz with an RBI groundout in the seventh, but the Golden Bears left a pair of runners on as NSU claimed the 10-4 victory in the opener.
 
Northern State 8, Concordia-St. Paul 0 (5 inn.)
Missy Elkins (9-10) held the Golden Bears scoreless in game two as she allowed just a pair of hits and a walk as the Wolves cruised to a sweep. She struck out four and retired the final 12 hitters in a row to pick up the five-inning win.
 
Haley Schanks and Makenna Giese each singled while Sarah Kivisto walked to round out the offense for CSP.
 
The Wolves scored one in the first, three in the fourth and four in the fifth to invoke the run rule.
 
NSU opened the scoring in the bottom half of the first as a leadoff walk led to a run as Albright eventually drove in Kalie Maiden with an RBI groundout to make it 1-0.
 
The Golden Bears threatened the next half inning as they collected two hits and a walk to load the bases with nobody out, but Elkins struck out the next three in a row to shut down the rally.
 
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth as the Wolves put three on the board to pick up some breathing room. Fisher drew a bases loaded walk before Lash hit a sacrifice fly and Sjerven added a run-scoring single to make it 4-0.
 
Albright added another RBI hit to open the scoring in the fifth before Fisher drove in another, Lash added a third RBI single and Lash scored on a wild pitch to close out the game.
 
CSP remains on the road tomorrow as they take on MSU Moorhead at Presentation College on Sunday.